


The Edge of In Between

by Molnija



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: (kind of), (that's a preexisting tag and I'm happy about that), (this counts for ships & chars too), Alternate Universe - Demon Hunters, Aromantic Shirofuku Yukie, Demon Sugawara Koushi, F/F, F/M, Friendship, M/M, Minor Character Death, Music, Or Is It?, Slow Build, Superpowers, Urban Fantasy, Violinist Akaashi Keiji, akaashi 'pure personified acceptance' keiji, atmospherically convenient rainstorms, i shall fill the akaoi tag and if it costs my life & sanity, it's kind of kyoukai no kanata-esque but not really, soulmate-ish undertones, tags will be updated while the story progresses, things could have been avoided had anyone been responsible, this is all ushiwaka's fault
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-05-29 02:06:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 57,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6354481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Molnija/pseuds/Molnija
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Demons roam the earth. Some people can fight them. Some people can't. That's how the world is.</p>
<p>Akaashi Keiji is one of those blessed with an Ability.</p>
<p>Oikawa Tooru is not.</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Tooru opened his eyes.<br/>His first thought was, “This is not Seijoh.”</p>
</blockquote>
            </blockquote>





	1. Vibrato

**Author's Note:**

> That has got to be the simplest summary I have ever written. I do like the sound of it though.
> 
> Welcome to the AU that literally nobody needed, here it is anyways! °^°)/ I actually have an insane amount of details layed out for this one that I will most definitely never be able to exploit in only one fic. Who knows, maybe I'll write spin-offs.
> 
> This might be a little confusing in the beginning, with all the specific terms and whatnot, but bear with me, it'll get clearer once I'm a few chapters in. I'm never really sure how much information to give since I obviously know everything, argh. I didn't want to write too much though, either, so just read on and you will understand. I hope. ;w; (now that's one way to get people to stick with your fic, which rhymed, which is nice)
> 
> I meant to have this in 5 chapters, but they would get INSANELY long by the third one, so I'll put in in parts containing several chapters instead. Which means that you should hit me if I don't update for a while. Uhm.
> 
> I'm still very happy about the fact that Violinist Akaashi Keiji is a preexisting tag. People have good taste. I salute you, other people who have writen Violinist!Akaashi.
> 
> Volleyball is actually still a thing here, except that there won't be much in the story. Mainly due to the fact that it still feels wrong to me to write a HQ!! fic without the characters being volleyball players. I DON'T KNOW EITHER
> 
> If you have any questions or just want to say hi idk, shoot me an ask or a message at http://akaashi-tooru.tumblr.com/ and I'll be happy to answer (and try not to yell because I'm actually really attached to this AU)!
> 
> The explanations to the musical terms are from here: http://www.naxos.com/education/glossary.asp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **_Vibrato_ is a technique of vibration used on various instruments and by singers, at one time used sparingly or not at all, but tending to over-use by performers anxious to conceal poor intonation.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clarify (even though it was in the chapter, it might be confusing), there are three classes of Demons. I quote from my insanely huge word document on world details:
> 
> First class – usually small Demons that live amongst humans in friendly ways, resembling pets. Most of them display certain, yet harmless, powers. They are common especially in bigger cities and not treated much differently than animals.  
> Second class – usually about the size of a human. They are of great intelligence and may appear in groups, working together and using destructive powers. There are instances of second class demons befriending humans and living in coexistence, but most of them seek power for their own kind.  
> Third class (Devils) – huge beings who act mostly on instinct. They search for humans to eat their spirits and bodies alike and cannot be killed. In order to defeat them, they need to be sealed and sent to the Between by an Encrypt.
> 
> Other than that, there's ... A lot of talking ... Forgive me. //sobs

**PART ONE  
PRELUDE**

_Of light scaring away the monsters in the dark and the one moment that changed everything, for better or worse._

 

* * *

 

 

There was a strange beauty in the way the monster’s eyes gleamed in the dark. They were a crimson shade of red, glowing circles around large dilated pupils; eyes you could get lost in that would have led to hell and beyond if such a thing had existed.

His hand clung to his violin as the Devil crept closer, taking its time, but perhaps time was a lost concept to creatures the likes of it. In the end, what did it matter? He had no way of escaping. His small back was pressed against the cold wall of the music school, any ways of escape blocked by its bricks and the Demon itself.

It stopped right in front of him and he could feel its hot breathing fanning over his face, making him dizzy. There was a smell to it he couldn’t distinguish, one that reeked of despair and that feeling you get when something you love breaks. Yet strangely enough, he was not afraid. His heart rate had slowed down to a normal pace, and this was uncomfortable, but peaceful, in a way.

(In the back of his mind, a voice told him this was not acceptance, but rather a result of the Devil’s aura, tugging lightly at his soul without much effort and erasing his emotions one by one, starting with those most prominent. He couldn’t bring himself to care.)

He let go of his violin, creating a small sound from the worn strings as he drew his hand away.

A sound like what he had heard too many times in his violin lessons. He would miss them once he was dead, he figured.              

Once he was dead.            

… No.    

This wasn’t right.              

The Devil’s huffs became hotter, unbearably so, burning his skin wherever they touched it. Somehow, he found his voice and screamed at the pain, gripped his violin again and started struggling away from beyond the monster. He kicked at air, desperately hoping to catch one of the creature’s sharp claws that could tear him in half in the fraction of a second, he’d probably die here but _he couldn’t_ , he’d at least have to try and make it, and somehow he escaped.        

The Demon roared at him, the face that of a distorted gazelle with the fangs of a predator, eyes maniac and hungry. The sound made his head ache, a sharp pain digging into his skull, but he stood up on shaking legs, almost breaking down but he didn’t, and he didn’t run, either.              

Because that would have been pointless. Some of these things could _teleport_.

Instead, he did the only thing he was capable of, the only thing he excelled at. The bow of his violin was in the case right next to him, laying open on the grass, and he would have hit himself for only clinging to the instrument itself when he had seen the monster approach.

Could he risk crouching down to get his bow?         

Well, he had no choice, did he.

The Devil lunged at him at the same moment he drew the bow over the violin’s strings and his eyes fell shut.

Then, his fingers shifted, trembling hands remembering his favourite piece even if his mind was clouded by fear. He played effortlessly, if shakily, one note after another until he could almost convince himself he was in his room practicing, or showing his teacher the progress he had made. Little by little, the terror eased off him, even if it still loomed in the back of his mind, but that was a good thing, wasn’t it, to be afraid of what would kill you.

He found this to be a calming song. It was the one he turned to when he was afraid or angry or sad, and even though it wasn’t hard to play, it always gave him a certain feeling of achievement that drowned out the bad by the time he finished. High notes, some long and drawn out, some short and light like the stars he loved to watch, flowing like water.  

That was when he realized that aside from this, no sound was heard.

He didn’t dare open his eyes, not yet, but maybe this had calmed his attacker too. People said that out of all Demons, those in the third class, called Devils, were those with the least humanity inside them. He had never understood that, because if they were alive, they must have a conscious, too, right? And every being with a conscious had feelings, too, and feelings were what people considered humanity, or so he had heard. He didn’t really care either way, because right now, it seemed as if his song had an effect on the Devil.       

Slowly, as the piece neared its climax, he opened his eyes.   

The world was coated in light.      

It made it hard to see the Demon, like a glowing curtain hanging between them, but that was when he understood.            

Akaashi Keiji had an Ability.

And somehow, he ran, his hands never ceasing to play.      

   

* * *

 

“We need a name,” Bokuto stated, completely serious. “Something good. Something that describes us. Something with owls.”       

“Oh, hell no,” Konoha and Keiji uttered in unison, but both of them knew that it was too late. Even if they refused to use any silly name Bokuto would come up with, it would end up sticking. It was always like that. That was just the way things worked around here. If it wasn’t, then none of them would be standing around here, thinking about naming a Demon-hunting group of volleyball players.

Suzumeda seemed a lot more excited by the idea than the two boys were and looked to the ceiling, thinking. “Owl … O-W-L … Origami … Woollen … Lampposts?”            

Silence. 

Then Keiji coughed. “No.” Konoha shook his head in agreement.        

Bokuto, however, narrowed his eyes and appeared to be in deep thought, which was never a good sign. “O-W-L.” Were they really going with this abbreviation trope? He had to admit, if they found a good way to use it, he wasn’t that against it. At least ‘owl’ was quickly said. “Otherworldly. That fits. But otherworldly what?”

“We’re not going with Otherworldly Lampposts, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Konoha shot Suzumeda a warning look which she countered with raised hands, as if saying ‘I wasn’t’, then he breathed out in defeat. “Legacies. Let’s get this over with and go with OtherWorldly Legacies, capital O, W, and L.”            

“Why Legacies though?” Suzumeda furrowed her eyebrows. “Sure, it sounds good, but what’s the point?”

“Because we carry on the legacies of those before us,” Keiji murmured, more to himself. It wasn’t half bad, really, could have been a lot worse. And it did make sense. “To protect the students of Fukurodani from Demons and Devils isn’t what we want, but what we have to do, if only because it’s our fate. We’re Ability users like the ones that came before us and even if we have to somehow make it through school, volleyball, and risking our lives in battle on a constant basis … It’s our duty. It’s the legacy of those who fought the otherworldly when we were living away.”             

Another moment of silence fell over the gym, but this time, it was broken by a sniffling sound. Three heads turned toward Bokuto, who wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “That,” he said, completely honest as always, “was beautifully said. OtherWorldly Legacies it is.”

It was probably a good thing to finally have a name for them, Keiji supposed. They had been hunting down Demons, second and third class alike, for a while now. Ever since the start of his second year, actually. Before that, a group of third years from the student council had made sure that Fukurodani Academy and its surroundings were as safe as possible, but ever since they had graduated, the volleyball club – or rather Bokuto – had somehow decided to take over. Which had only ended in them being the smallest legally permitted group, with four people – one for each Ability. The other club members had ran away. He should have, too, but who was he kidding, he would have stuck around anyways.

Somebody had to pay attention to Bokuto. No matter how you looked at him, he always appeared blurred, as if somebody had painted him into this world and decided to smudge him out of it again when his colours still hadn’t been dry. When Keiji had first walked into the gym to join the team in his first year he had blinked countless times upon seeing the ace with the spiky white-and-black hair, but apparently, the rumour about strong Encrypts looking like this was true. Still, actually seeing it was confusing and kind of scary. Even now there were moments when Keiji caught himself wondering whether it was actually something wrong with his eyes.

“Breaking news, Akaashi’s still mentally stuck in literature class.” Konoha drove a hand through his dirty blond hair and let loose another sigh. “I always assumed you were the sane one of us, but now I guess I have to turn to Suzumeda. Which already says a lot.”

The addressed girl, a first year manager of the club whose light brown hair was held in a high ponytail, was about to protest, but before she could say anything, another female voice joined in on their conversation.

“Guys, I found you another one!” Shirofuku waved from the doorstep and switched into her gym shoes before coming over to them, a sheet of paper in one hand. The third year handed the paper to Suzumeda who couldn’t even take a look at it before Bokuto stole it from her and cleared his throat before reading out loud.    

“Kisaragi Pet Store, a second class with a very loud voice disrupting the peace and quiet. Priority medium, blah blah blah … Oh, the store owner offers a month’s supply of cat food if you kill it!”

“Kisaragi’s? Isn’t that at Nekoma?” Suzumeda leaned over to read what was written on the paper.

Konoha wrinkled his nose. “Okay. That just sounds like he has too much cat food he didn’t get sold, but okay. Still would make more sense to just tell Kuroo. I’m pretty sure he knows what to do with the reward, too. Or does anyone of us have a cat?”

“I have a cat,” Shirofuku said.

“You have a first class Demon with the head of a cat.” Keiji wouldn’t have known that if Shirofuku hadn’t been gushing about her ‘precious Nana-chan’ so much lately. Since he usually hung out with Bokuto, and Bokuto was good friends with their other manager, he had heard more about it than he cared to know.

“She eats cat food, though.”

“Well, but you’re not even really part of the team,” Bokuto argued, one eyebrow raised as if in genuine thought about it. He probably was. “It says ‘danger level: medium’, so we’ll probably get the Cats to help us anyways, and then they’d have a higher priority, right?”  

“Like I said. Let’s just tell Kuroo. He’ll do okay on his own.”                

“That’s not the point here!”            

“Then what _is_ the point?”

“The point is,” Keiji jumped in before this got out of hand, “that there’s a Demon that needs to be taken care of and we don’t have anything else to do, anyways. And if it’s really a _month’s_ supply of cat food, I’m sure they’ll let Shirofuku-san have some. Besides, it’s not that far away and we’ve worked with …” He paused and sighed before saying the name. “Catastrophe Regulations so many times before and we were pretty efficient. Not to mention we’re friends.”        

“It’s all really because Bokuto wants to be disgusting with Kuroo in public again,” Konoha retorted, but shut his mouth after that.

Not that he was wrong. All of them knew the ulterior motive. Well, most of them. He wasn’t so sure about Bokuto himself. Meeting up with his boyfriend at every possible occasion was probably something he was doing subconsciously by now, or maybe he just assumed all of them were as enthusiastic about working with the Nekoma guys as he was.

Though Keiji had been right when he had said they were friends. Almost getting killed several times before finally sealing that stubborn Devil did do wonders to improve teamwork.

“So are we doing it?” Bokuto seemed as if he was trying to contain his excitement, or maybe it was just the blurriness that made him appear shaky, but right now, Keiji could have sworn he was about to jump around in happiness. “Our first mission as OWL?”

Shirofuku raised her eyebrows and echoed, “OWL?”              

“OtherWorldly Legacies,” Suzumeda explained and shot her senpai a smile. “We have a name now. So we can finally fill in those forms …”

“There are forms?” It was Bokuto who had asked. Of course it was. Their supposed leader and all. In the end, it was always Keiji taking care of the technical stuff, be it with the club or with their team. He’d kind of accepted it by now.

“Yes, there are forms, Bokuto-san. I have them at home. I’ll send them in as soon as possible.”

“What would we be without you, Akaashi?”              

“Dead, probably,” he murmured. It was true, though. He had saved their skins more than once, be it when Bokuto had forgotten his pencil case on exam day, when Konoha had gotten stuck in a vending machine – _“Not a word, Akaashi. To anyone.”_ –, or quite literally when fighting their last third class. Konoha’s wards were great, but they did little when the Devil could make itself invisible so nobody knew where or what it even was. Thankfully, even though he could redirect it, the light from his violin affected everything in a certain radius, which had eventually been what had saved them. Sometimes he wondered whether or not he was actually a Guard like Konoha instead of a Slayer. Maybe there were some people who would call him two-spirited. He didn’t really know – or care, actually. As long as he could fight and protect, he was good.

It didn’t matter.

Ever since that day, he had just kind of lived with it. It was practical, sure, to have an Ability that could hurt Demons when human weapons couldn’t, one that could even kill second class Demons even if Devils needed Encryption. He felt safer ever since the Awakening six years ago, when he was ten. Who wouldn’t? There were Demons everywhere, and while first classes didn’t differ much from pets, second classes could be dangerously intelligent and powerful, and third classes … Well, there was a reason why non-users or even users without a group consisting of at least one user of each Ability weren’t allowed to fight them. And still, they could pop up everywhere.

“So! When are we gonna take it?” Bokuto shouted, enthusiastic as always. Keiji couldn’t imagine him ever being quiet, although he wasn’t stupid enough to believe he didn’t have a fragile side too. He just didn’t show it, like a lot of people. Kuroo probably knew more about it, but he was in no position to ask, even if it would probably help in getting Bokuto from the power-highs he was on when he used his Ability too carelessly. Since this was Bokuto, that happened a lot.

“Well, there’s no club today and it’s still pretty early,” Suzumeda said. “If we take the train now, text the Cats on our way and meet up with them, provided they want to help … We should be back home by sundown.”

“Wait, we’re just taking this right now? All of a sudden?”      

Shirofuku shrugged. “Why not? I’ll get you guys more information on other problems while you’re gone and as far as I know, and I know you entire schedules as you might be aware, you’re all free.”

“I have no objects,” Keiji stated, more out of courtesy than anything else, since even if he hadn’t been free, he would have ended up going anyways, depending on how big his appointment was.

“Alright, let’s get this done, then.” Konoha still didn’t seem happy with it, but he knew this would change by the time they actually got there. He always seemed to have fun in battle, even when he got injured and Suzumeda had to patch him up again … Or get him off a power-high. With two people who were easily affected by that in the group, Keiji considered themselves lucky to have a Healer that focused on the mind and inner body functions. “Who’s texting Kuroo?”

Bokuto raised a hand, already over at the side of the gym searching in his gym bag for his phone with the other.

“The next train arrives in ten, so we should probably go.” It was a good thing they were in their school uniforms, only having chosen the gym as their standard meeting point after Bokuto had pretty much flung himself at Keiji when the latter had left his classroom, shouting ‘Meeting! Now! I have an idea!’ and dragging his kouhai with him.

“I’ll stay back here and research some stuff in the library, have fun, guys. And don’t die!” Shirofuku said it like a joke, but even with a second class, danger level medium, and even with the Nekoma guys there, it was still a Demon they were about to fight. Second classes could be vicious in intelligence, even if they lacked physical strength.

The truth was, plain and simple, that there was always a chance to die.

But that was always the case, wasn’t it? No matter whether you were fighting a Demon, crossing a road, or sitting at home studying for a test, something could always happen. And it wasn’t like this was a foreign concept to any of them or even those who didn’t fight Demons in their spare time. Living meant having to deal with monsters that tried to eat your soul and body. They didn’t know it any other way. ‘Kill that Demon’ and ‘Take out the trash’ held the same weight, really. Just another chore to do. One that some people indulged in, sure, but in the end, nothing more and nothing less.

“Tetsurou’s all for it, but they’re without Yaku today,” Bokuto said when they were walking across the schoolyard, the chilly autumn air colouring Keiji’s cheeks red. “I guess that also means no Lev. There’s no way they’ll take him with them without Yaku to restrain him.”

“That’s probably a good thing,” Keiji mused. The last time Yaku had had to quite literally chain the first year to a tree so he’d stop interfering. Why they had even accepted him into their team was beyond him, as Lev didn’t have an Ability or even a weapon. He did know that his sister was quite well-renowned in the Erasing Unity, the organization that supervised most of the hunters, so maybe it was the name. Who knew.

“That is most definitely a good thing.” It was Konoha who had said it and Suzumeda nodded along. Good to know they were on the same page with this. Sometimes Keiji thanked whatever gods there were for not having someone like Lev as part of their team, even though Lev was a nice, if overexcited, person. OWL was unprofessional enough as it was, with Bokuto leading them.

Right. OWL.

It still sounded kind of weird, and he wondered whether it would stop someday. It was a ridiculous name for people killing monsters or for any team in general, but the more the thought about it, the more he liked it.


	2. Vocalise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **A _vocalise_ is a vocal work, whether an exercise or something more musically substantial, that has no words.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For a chapter titled with the name for a work without words this has quite a lot of words, actually. It does allude to the "no powers" thing though. Or at least it did in my head.
> 
> There's a surprising amount of Oisuga friendship in this one even though Suga wasn't even supposed to show up so soon, what the heck.
> 
> I love the idea that Tooru has a sister, not a brother, maybe her husband took her name, maybe she doesn't even have a husband and he left her when he heard about Takeru ... Who knows. Also, somebody please save poor Tooru, who does not deserve any of this.
> 
> This is the second "set-up" chapter and the second and last chapter of Part I, so yeah, Akaoi interaction will finally start with the next part! I was so pumped to write this that I ended up not taking nearly as long for a new chapter to come out as I feared, lol. Don't get too used to it, my updating schedule's usually all over the place.
> 
> /e: so, proofread it (I should do that before posting, but then it takes too long and I start hating it again so yeah), if there's anything wrong you notice, please tell me :3

**_3/15/2005_ **

**_Name:_** _Oikawa Shiida_  
_**Age:** 20_  
_**Ability:** Slayer  & Guard (Two-spirited)       _  
_**Artefact:** none   _

 _ **Occupation:** Erasing Unity – Devil Control (Tokyo)                _  
_**Squad:** Itsukata Sango (Slayer), Sorata Takumi (Encrypt), Itsuki Yuri (Healer), Kousaka Mizu (Healer)_  
_**Rank:** Officer_

 _ **Time of death:** March 12 th, 2005; app. 10.30 PM     _  
_**Place of death:** Yoyogi Koen, Tokyo            **  
Cause of death:** unkown_

_We are expressing our deepest condolences upon losing Oikawa Shiida, a valued and skilled member of our organization. Concerning the cause of her death, it is not yet certain. We will inform you as soon as we get new information. Until then, it is presumed that Oikawa was devoured by a Devil she was fighting alongside Sorata and Kousaka, who are both alive, but suffer from amnesia. However, the possibility of an Ability overuse affecting her health and eventually life is also considered._

_All of Oikawa’s belongings will be sent to you, her family, as written in her will. You will also care for her son, Oikawa Takeru, unless or until you find an appropriate home._

_Sincerely_

_Takahashi Kaoru, Erasing Unity_

 

* * *

 

“Takeru, what did you do?”            

His mother’s voice had this exasperated tone to it that let Tooru knew all the way up to his room that something had been broken again. Well, that and the suspicious crashing sound he had heard a few minutes earlier, before his parents had come home from grocery shopping. He hadn’t bothered to check, even though he knew that would earn him a scolding. _“Tooru! You’re thirteen, you should know to keep him from doing this!”_ Wouldn’t be the first time.             

But what could he do? Takeru was four and completely out of control. Concerning his powers, at least. Tooru usually found him to be a quite comfortable child to be around, but ever since he had first accidentally shoved everything in a five meter radius away with just one wrong movement of his small arms, things had gotten a little … Out of hand.

Maybe another Ability user would have been able to help him regulate his powers, but there were none around. Shiida had been the only one out of his, his parents’, and his grandparents’ generation to be blessed with powers, even more so than usual. It seemed as if all the supernatural talent in the Oikawa family had gone towards her, leaving her little brother with athletic talent, good looks, and … Not much else. And even then, she had been faster (though he could easily blame that on her Ability), stronger (which he would most definitely blame on her Ability), and prettier (whether or not that was to blame on her Ability was unclear, but Tooru hadn’t noticed a weird amount of attractive people amongst Ability users in particular, so probably not. He still liked to believe it).

It hadn’t saved her life, though.

Maybe it had even killed her. Even though it had happened three years ago, thinking about his sister being torn into pieces by overworking her powers still hurt like hell. Thinking about her death in general still hurt like hell. The pain had become less prominent over time, but it was always there and sometimes it decided to come up in particularly hard stings.

But he had to live with it. He hadn’t even had much to do with his sister for her last two years, and he couldn’t imagine how much worse it would have been had she still lived with him and their parents. This was already bad enough. Not that it had been unexpected, working for the Unity meant going on life-threatening missions way more often than those who only did it for extra money or even fun, and those missions were considered more dangerous, too. But it was one thing seeing headlines like _Officer killed during Devil attack_ on the news and a completely different one knowing that Officer was his sister, who would never, ever return.

Tooru only noticed he was crying again when he couldn’t read his homework in front of him anymore.

He wiped the tears away and tried to regain his composure, something he was pretty used to by now. Searching for his box of tissues, his gaze fell on the metal chain hidden behind a few books on his desk. Its links glowed in a shade of gold even without much light falling on them, and the wooden handles on each side, decorated with small balls of aquamarine on each end, seemed inviting. Sometimes he felt like just taking the enchanted weapon he had gotten from the Unity when he and Iwaizumi had become part of it, go out, and fix some Demon-induced problems, but he couldn’t for several reasons.  

First, he wasn’t technically allowed to without a team of at least five, one of them being a Healer – he would be once he was sixteen, which seemed ages away –, second, it was a miracle nobody had noticed or said anything yet. His parents still had no idea he was even part of the Unity. Ever since Shiida’s death, they tried to keep as far away from anything Demon-involved as possible, which was made harder by Takeru’s obvious Guard tendencies. If they found out about this now … Yeah, he’d probably be grounded for the rest of his life.

But he couldn’t help it. What was he supposed to do, sit around and pretend everything was fine? Until a Demon got to his family, until Takeru got involved and ended up like Shiida? There was no way he could let that happen. He had to be able to fight.

 

* * *

 

It took exactly fourteen minutes for Tooru’s day to be ruined.

Granted, it hadn’t started out exactly as he would have liked, either, or else he wouldn’t have been hurrying down the street desperately trying to catch his bus, but that was something he could deal with, something that sucked but hey, shit happens. Sadly, said hurrying down the street – because really, there was no other way if he still wanted to be on time, curse himself for forgetting to press ‘save’ when setting up the alarm clock on his phone last night – had also lead to him quite literally running into Ushiwaka at the bus stop and being so startled that he had only noticed he hadn’t gotten in when the bus had been driving away.

And now he was stranded here, waiting for the next one that definitely wouldn’t get him to school on time. Ever since the sudden Devil outbreak in town, the higher-ups had decided that it would be safer to decrease public transportation. While he could certainly understand where they were coming from, right now he would have punched all of them in the face.

Oikawa Tooru wasn’t _late_. He was aiming for Kazenogawa College in Tokyo and even if he was probably going to make it in through a volleyball scholarship, he definitely didn’t want to take any chances. And having a near-perfect attendance record aside from that one time he had had to save an old woman from a second class Demon that really did not count was one of those things he just couldn’t throw away.

And yet. Here he was. And it was all Ushiwaka’s fault, as always. He didn’t even live here, why exactly had he needed to take the bus?

 _Probably some Encrypt business._ As if they didn’t have enough Ability users as it was, no, somebody had thought, ‘hey, let’s send Ushijima, he’ll certainly deal with any Devil coming his way,’ and whoever it was had also ignored the fact that you didn’t just send a single person on a Devil hunt. Legally speaking. Morally, too. As anyone with a working brain would have figured.

Or maybe it was something diplomatic, who knew. Something concerning volleyball, even. Tooru hadn’t really had the time to ask him before Ushiwaka had disappeared into the bus after a low and completely unaffected “good morning”.

Honestly, what was the deal with this guy?

“Oikawa-san?”   

The voice, as suddenly as it had appeared, didn’t startle him in the least. He wasn’t sure whether it actually _could_. There was a warm, slightly surreal tone to it that he was convinced could actually be dangerously calming if its owner ever decided to use it that way. Even if you couldn’t tell by looking at him, simply hearing him speak was an efficient reminder that Sugawara Koushi was not human. 

Tooru turned around and faced the second class humanoid Demon. He still couldn’t believe he was lucky enough to see one. Demons were usually composed of several animal parts, created from the deceased souls of animals if you believed the scientific research done on them, and it wasn’t that unusual for human parts to be found as well, since in the end, aside from down here, nobody really cared whether you were a human or a dog. All animals, biologically speaking. But there were very few reported cases of Demons looking exactly like an earthen animal, and even less of them being humanoid. He couldn’t quite believe that Sugawara was _entirely_ indistinguishable from humans, maybe he had a dog foot or something, he wouldn’t know. But the Demon was human enough to speak and blend in with others. And terrifyingly friendly.

Sure, some second classes decided to play nice and not kill people, and he could kind of see why someone like Sugawara would like to fit in. Did Demons bully? Who knew. Probably. They were intelligent. Well, first and second classes were. Devils only liked to destroy stuff and eat souls. Still he always felt on edge and yet strangely calm when Sugawara was around, knowing that if he wanted to, the Demon could probably kill him in a heartbeat.

“Why, if it isn’t Mr. Refreshing.” Ever since facing off at the Interhigh Preliminaries Sugawara had earned that nickname, but it applied to matters outside of volleyball too. At least Tooru found it pretty refreshing to have a friendly Demon around, if not always in the best way. “Are you lost? Karasuno’s the other way, you know.”

Sugawara giggled at that. “Haven’t you heard? They’ve invited me to the Unity meeting at Seijoh. Or, well, they invited Michimiya, but she’s sick, and Daichi has his hands full with the team right now, so I jumped in.”

Unity meeting. Right. He had totally forgotten about that.

Well, he wouldn’t have been able to make it to class with the meeting he was supposed to attend too anyways, so at least he wouldn’t be late to class, which was … Something, especially since he’d actually make it in time as the meeting started later. But for some reason, it had totally slipped his mind that _crap, I was supposed to bring the records_.

Just running back home would have been doable, no problem, but the thing was that he didn’t have those records. He had given them to Matsukawa and assured him that once he needed them, he’d call a day before. Mattsun had no idea that the meeting was today. Which meant he still had the records at home, which meant that he wouldn’t be able to get them now unless he had also missed his bus, and Tooru was about to grab his phone to ask him before coming to the shocking realization that it was out of battery. He hadn’t put the charger in correctly last night, it seemed.

It took all of his self-control to not scream his frustration down the street.

“Uh, do you need my phone?” Sugawara asked, expression slightly worried and slightly confused.

Tooru sighed in defeat. “I don’t have his number memorized.”

“Okay, I have no idea who ‘he’ is, but maybe I have it saved. So who do you need?”     

“If you two know each other I’m leaving this planet. That’d be too much to handle.” He couldn’t help but think back to countless exhausting conversations with Mattsun and Makki, and then to the few reminders in between that Sugawara was indeed a Demon. At least he didn’t know how else someone as genuinely nice could be so crude sometimes. It always surfaced when you least expected it and soon after, you’d be looking at an angel again. If Tooru was honest, he had picked some of his calculated switches between _cute and loveable_ and _destructive_ up from what some people would consider a friendship between him and the Demon. He still didn’t know how to feel about it.

“What’s his name, though?” Sugawara insisted and got his own phone out of his bag. “Someone from Seijoh, I guess? I have Iwaizumi-san, Kindaichi, Kyoutani …”        

“How on earth did you get _Kyouken-chan_ ’s number?”

“Through Kunimi, actually. Who got it from Yahaba. Who got it from Kyoutani himself, I think. I could be wrong.”

He would never understand Sugawara Koushi. Not even Tooru had Kyoutani’s number. Or Kunimi’s for that matter. Was this what true defeat felt like?

“Matsukawa,” he sighed more than he said it. “Matsukawa Issei.”

“Nope, sorry. I could ask Iwaizumi-san, if you want? He’ll have it for sure.”

A universe in which Sugawara had Kyoutani’s number but not Matsukawa’s sounded pretty fake to Tooru’s ears, but he decided not to question it any further. “Yeah, Iwa-chan has it. Thanks.”

Sugawara nodded with a smile and typed away.

The seconds seemed to stretch like hours, the notorious tapping sound of Sugawara’s phone only adding to Tooru’s impatience. If he didn’t get those records, he’d be screwed, or at least his team wouldn’t be allowed to hunt until the next meeting, which was in two months at a school he had never heard of before. And he couldn’t let that happen, no way. This was important. Maybe he could fake the records … But no, he didn’t even know what they looked like from memory.

Today was _not_ his day, was it? Well, at least it couldn’t get worse, unless a Devil decided to show up from nowhere, since even though it was 7AM and people should be heading towards work and school now, the street was completely empty aside from him and Sugawara.

In hindsight, that should have probably made him think.

“Alright, got the number!” Sugawara exclaimed and proceeded to quickly dial it before handing the phone to Tooru. At least you could always count on Iwaizumi, thank goodness. Maybe he was lucky after all, maybe Mattsun had a way of getting the records or had for some reason remembered the date of the meeting after all. Maybe this would mark the end of a streak of bad luck that would have been hilarious had he not been the one it had struck.

After four low beeps, someone answered. To Tooru’s surprise, it wasn’t Mattsun. “Matsukawa’s phone here, who is it?”

“Makki? Is that you?”       

“Oh, hey Oikawa. Let me guess, the records?”

Good. Perfect. This was a good sign. If Hanamaki had remembered it, then he would have reminded Matsukawa, even if Tooru still had no idea why on earth Makki would answer Mattsun’s phone. Maybe they were finally making their relationship official, not that everybody hadn’t known already. “The records, yes. I need them, right now, yesterday would have been better but here we are. Where are you right now? Does Mattsun have them?”

There was a moment of silence on the other side, followed by a muffled shriek. “Okay, what the hell,” Tooru murmured to himself, then, louder, said, “I have no idea what you’re doing there, but please tell me neither of you tried to adopt a Devil.”

“Not necessarily _adopt_ ,” came the answer. “But, uh … We might have … Accidentally let one in the gym?”

Oh, were they fucking serious.

“Mattsun does have the records though! And Seijoh’s team is dealing with the situation. Ushiwaka’s here too, which is pretty neat. Yuda still kinda sucks at this Encrypt thing, you know, so good thing today’s the meeting, right?”

Tooru tried to say something, but all that came out of his mouth trailed off into incoherent sounds that he wouldn’t usually let people hear.

“Anyways, I gotta go, somebody needs to inform the principal and it won’t be me. We have everything under control, see you!”

And the connection went silent.

“I can’t believe this!”

“Sounds like there’s a problem, huh?” Sugawara took back his phone and stored it in his bag again. “I think I heard a Devil screech? I’m surprised Iwaizumi-san didn’t say anything via text. But then again, I only said I wanted the number, not that it was you who needed it.”

Neither of them said anything else for a while, just stood there on the sidewalk and looked around the street typical for the suburban neighbourhood they were in. The next bus would arrive in about twenty minutes if neither Tooru’s watch nor the schedule written on a sign next to them were lying. He kind of wondered why Sugawara even took the bus, as his Demon powers allowed him to twist space-time, or, in other words, teleport, but maybe he was just being nice. Maybe he just thought ‘what if I catch Oikawa at the bus stop?’ even though Tooru usually took a bus earlier with Iwaizumi. Whom he would definitely have to ask why he didn’t at least call when he had been alone this morning once he’d see him at school.

Sugawara had his phone in his hand again, scrolling through something, and Tooru was kind of envious. He couldn’t even pretend he had something to do with his phone dead. Right now they weren’t even working with any piece of literature in school that he could read. It was a really awkward feeling and one he wasn’t at all used to.

That was when he heard it.

Sugawara raised his head next to him, grey eyes wide and alert at the sudden dull sound of something stomping on the ground, and Tooru could swear he felt the ground vibrate. The two setters looked at each other, both concerned and wary.

“Is it a Devil?” Sugawara whispered, as if careful not to make too much noise, even though Devils were attracted by souls, not anything that humans could witness.

Tooru willed himself to stay calm. It wasn’t by far the first time that an approaching Demon had surprised him, and he knew how to handle himself, his chain heavy in his bag, but usually he had his team around and maybe Yahaba and Kyoutani too. Right now, he was alone with only a second class he couldn’t quite bring himself to trust even after what was now months of acquaintance. And Sugawara might have been a supernatural being hailing from the afterlife, but he couldn’t replace a Guard or Encrypt. Tooru would be able to hurt the Devil with his chains, but it probably wouldn’t be enough.

Crap.

They could die here.

“Take my hand.”

Another stomp, louder this time. It was a slow Demon, but it seemed powerful. Far away, he thought he could see a silhouette of something big coming their way. “What?” he responded, only half there in his mind.

“Take my hand, Oikawa-san.”

He found his weapon in his bag and closed his hand around it, pulling it out. The golden chain links glimmered in the early sunlight. “I’m sorry, Suga-chan, but if you’re trying to be romantic, this is hardly the time.”

He shrieked when he felt an unnaturally cold hand closing around his wrist. “Hold my hand and don’t let go. I’m getting us to Seijoh right now.”

The ground was vibrating continuously now.

The Devil closing in on them was the size of a house, had long sharp horns and what appeared like a face sown together from a rat, a human, and a lion. It looked terrifyingly _wrong_.

And with every inch it came closer Tooru felt more nauseous.

The hand around his chain was trembling as the other gripped what he hoped was Sugawara’s hand. He couldn’t take his eyes off the thing until he forced himself to squeeze them shut.

A roar that burned its way into his brain, tearing his skull up and digging _down_

and then

silence.

 

* * *

 

Tooru opened his eyes.

His first thought was, “This is not Seijoh.”


	3. Orchestration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **_Orchestration_ is the art of arranging music for the orchestra or the way in which this is done.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't supposed to be this long, what the heck. I couldn't find a better place to cut it though, huh. Well, I guess long chapters aren't usually a bad thing. //shrugs
> 
> Boring chapter title is boring. '-'
> 
> I'm having the opposite of a writer's block atm and it's pure bliss, I just hope this doesn't fade all too quickly ~ I'm not exactly sure about some things in this chapter tho, specifically some of the expressions and argh. How do I English?
> 
> I've already started with ch4 right after finishing this one right now so maybe, just maybe I'll be able to keep this rather fast updating schedule going. I'm certainly motivated. °^°)/ Part 2 will be more than two chapters, Part 1 was more of a prologue part than anything else, hm.

**PART TWO  
** **SOLO**

_Of the world we have been born to be a part of and people we might have never encountered if not for a thing some people would call fate._

 

* * *

 

 

“You know, in the end it wasn’t so bad,” Bokuto said and threw a piece of whatever this cat food was made of into his mouth. “And this is actually delicious!”

“I can’t believe you’re actually eating that.” Keiji was past the point of outwardly cringing since a while, but that didn’t stop him from shaking his head on the inside at least. One of the many small bags of cat food they had gotten after the hunt at Kisaragi’s sat between them on the wooden bench on Fukurodani’s schoolyard, right beyond the trees shedding their leaves. Had somebody told Keiji that the first two periods were cancelled for all of the school today, he would still be lying in bed, peacefully asleep. But going back now didn’t make any sense either and he cursed himself and his schoolmates for not knowing.

There were actually a few other students walking around, some of them probably like Keiji and Bokuto who hadn’t known, or maybe they were preparing something, studying, or out on a morning walk. Fukurodani Academy did have dorms, after all, and quite a few students lived here, but Keiji’s home was close enough to come here by train every day; he only had to ride a few stops. Bokuto lived even closer and walked. Suzumeda, for example, was staying at the dorms, and he had seen her jog on the sports ground this morning, headphones in her ears.

At least he wasn’t here alone. He probably would have gone to the library and fallen asleep at the silence.

“Why not? There’s nothing in there that could kill me. You should try it too!”

“I’ll thankfully decline.”

“You’re no fun, Akaashi! Have you never done something even a little weird?”

“Well, yesterday I serenaded a Demon, so that’s something.”

The monster had turned out to be part fox, part mouse and part very loud nightingale. Even getting it to shut up for a second so that they weren’t constantly exposed to headache-inducing screams had been a near impossible task, and then it had been fast, too. Had it not run headfirst into Konoha’s wards, Keiji would have never been able to quiet it down. But apparently it had been into Beethoven. The Moonlight Sonata had worked wonders, and Bokuto had seemed kind of down that the sleep-inducing powers from his Artefact, a wooden owl he had gotten from Kuroo, had had no effect.

However, Keiji was now convinced the Demon had developed a strange fixation on him halfway. At least it had stared at him with unblinking eyes for the rest of it, even when Kozume had sealed it, swiping away at the touchscreen of his Artefact – a black DS lite – without much effort. They could have killed it instead of performing Encryption, sending it to the enigmatic and eternal world of prison called the Between, but with only Keiji, who had still been playing the melody instead of the light that hurt Demons, and Kai, who could manipulate water but there hadn’t been enough around to kill it, they hadn’t had much of a choice.

Bokuto didn’t look too impressed. “That’s not weird, that’s just stuff that happens around here. If you’d played something else, maybe. How about next time you try, uh …”

“I’m not going to play _Never Gonna Give You Up_ , Bokuto-san.” They’d had that discussion before. Twice.

“Ah, c’mon, Akaashi! Tetsurou also thinks you’re too boring, y’know,” Bokuto protested before shoving another piece of cat food into his mouth.  

“Why would I care what Kuroo-san thinks?”

“Wow, you’re—” Bokuto stopped mid-sentence to stare at something in the distance.

Bokuto never stopped talking. He was the kind of person who let everything, appropriate or not, out. And even when somebody was talking over him, sometimes he wouldn’t even care. Sure, sometimes he would switch to another topic before finishing the one he was on, but he didn’t just stop talking.

Keiji followed his gaze towards the low stone wall framing the schoolyard, immediately alert, and let a hand wander to his violin case lying next to him on the bench.

But when he looked out there, he couldn’t see anything unusual. He shot Bokuto a questioning side gaze, but the Encrypt still stared seemingly into nothing. Was this some new quirk he had to add to the ever-growing list of Bokuto’s weaknesses?

Or were his powers acting up?

He had heard of cases where an overuse of one’s Ability could lead to injury, mental breakdowns, and even death. One time there had been a report on TV about a Slayer who had literally been torn to shreds when he hadn’t taken a break. But while that was scary and ever-present on Keiji’s mind, there had been no instance of someone having problems with their Ability when they weren’t using it that he knew of.

Two-spirited or the even rarer Three-spirited seemed to be prone to psychological issues from birth, many depressed, anxious, or in another way mentally ill. And Bokuto _was_ an Encrypt so strong that his edges appeared blurred. What could happen? Or rather, what _couldn’t_?

“Bokuto-san?” Keiji asked, voice low, when the ace didn’t resume to speak.

He got no answer.

Crap.

“Bokuto-san,” he tried again, louder this time, and shook his shoulder. Surely that would get him back to reality if he had just drifted off somehow.

Keiji tried not to panic when this didn’t provoke anything either.

His gaze fell to the wooden owl around Bokuto’s neck. Without it, he couldn’t use his Ability, just like Keiji’s own was linked to his violin. Not all users had an Artefact, those who did and those who didn’t were spread about evenly across the world. If there was any way to get Bokuto out of this … State he was in, provided it was caused by his Ability, it would probably be by taking the Artefact away from him.

He reached for the owl.

“The Between,” Bokuto whispered and Keiji’s violin case was pushed to the ground with a painful thump when he flinched away, unprepared.

“Holy shit, don’t scare me like that!” It wasn’t a thing he’d usually say out loud, but his heart was racing at the shock and the panic he still felt about whatever this had been and he really couldn’t bring himself to care.

“The Between,” Bokuto repeated and looked him straight in the eyes, blinking rapidly, as if trying to readjust. “There was something in the Between right now. For a pretty long time, too.”

“Something in the Between.”

Keiji didn’t know what that really meant. Out of the four worlds scientists had confirmed to exist, the Between was the one he was least familiar with. Only Encrypts had any kind of contact with it, as sealing a Devil meant sending it there as some sort of unescapable prison. Though apparently it wasn’t unescapable after all if something had been there and then not. Teleporting Demons were theorized to travel through the Between, but the generally more accepted idea was that they were bending space-time instead.

The Beyond, he could deal with. It was the place considered the afterlife, where dead souls went. Then there was the Purgatory, which nobody really knew anything about since according to theories, spirits only spent a fraction of a second there before moving on and it was hard to grasp or get access too. The idea of it wasn’t that hard to understand though. A waiting room for the dead. And of course there was their own world, simply named earth, even if it included the rest of the universe.

But the Between? He had hardly any idea what it might be.

And he had never before heard from an Encrypt that they knew what was going on there. Not from Bokuto, not from Kozume, not from anyone else.

“Yeah. It was, like, there was a … What do you call it, disruptance? Disruption, or something? It’s not like I could see it, you know, but I just kind of _knew_ and I guess I spaced out?”

Maybe he shouldn’t have been relieved that Bokuto seemed equally confused by this, but he was. It was not even eight in the morning and hearing that your best friend who was pretty weird in general had some sort of inhuman connection to a world where they sent the most vicious of creatures wasn’t exactly what he had hoped for today.

“It’s gone now though, but still, that was _crazy_! For how long was I out?”

“About … Half a minute or so. Maybe longer.” Keiji narrowed his eyes, thinking. Maybe they should ask someone about this. Hirokaze-sensei, the biology teacher, was an Encrypt, albeit weaker than Bokuto, plus he had a great understanding of science, obviously. But what if this was a really big deal that could get Bokuto in trouble, or the entire group of OWL?

The responsible reaction would have been to immediately ask for help and it was also exactly what he wasn’t going to do. Not until the situation was clearer.

Instead, he decided to use his free time for a search around the area to find any kind of clue of what might have disrupted the Between, as Bokuto had called it. He shot him a glance and found him resuming to eat the cat food as if nothing had happened.

“I’m going to search for it,” Keiji blurted out without meaning to.

“For what?” It was hard to understand with him chewing. “The thing that was in the Between? In Between. In Between the Between. Or something.”

“Yes, and you are not going to follow me.”

Bokuto looked genuinely offended, eyebrows raised and mouth forming a strange mix of a pout and an ‘oh’. But this was final.

Again, the responsible reaction, aside from not going in the first place, would have been to at least inform the others, not go alone, but Bokuto’s constant foolish and probably borderline-illegal shenanigans must have rubbed off on him. Mix that with a strong feeling of _if he gets dragged into this, things will only get worse_ and you had a decision that was final. Usually it was Keiji following Bokuto around and caving into his demands of ‘throw me another toss’, ‘let’s go kill that second class’, and ‘save me a spot at the cafeteria’, and he didn’t mind, not really. If anything, he’d grown to like it that way, being the responsible one but staying in the background most of the time.

This was different though. He couldn’t exactly pinpoint why, but it felt like if he allowed Bokuto to just go with him now, they would get in bigger trouble than they arguably already were in.

Keiji knew how to deal with most situations but Bokuto was unpredictable even to him.

“What, are you going to pull a Yaku and chain me to the bench?”

“I might do just that.” That earned him a gasp he couldn’t quite tell the meaning of. Was it shocked? Was it hurt? And was it just exaggerated? He didn’t mean to hurt Bokuto, but if that was what he had to do, he would. “Please, Bokuto-san, I have a really bad feeling about this.”

“That’s exactly why you shouldn’t go alone!”

He knew. He knew and Bokuto was right, but this was getting tiring and Bokuto wouldn’t understand anyways, he doubted a lot of people would in general. Keiji wasn’t the kind of person who usually acted based on instinct alone, but he would follow this hunch and if it got him killed, then, well …

It wouldn’t get him killed.

He reached for his violin case and nodded at his senpai, saying, “I’m sorry, but I’m doing this alone,” and then he turned and walked towards the entrance, leaving the school grounds and a very agitated Bokuto behind him.

Keiji knew he was an idiot if he believed Bokuto wouldn’t follow him anyways, so when he turned around the first corner, he took out his phone.

**_@Suzumeda Kaori; Oct. 23 rd_ **

**_7:21 AM._ ** _could you keep Bokuto-san at the schoolyard? it’s important. I’m trusting you not to follow me no matter what he says._

 

* * *

 

“This is not Seijoh.”

“Uhm. Are you sure? Maybe they just renovated the place, got a second class to help them or maybe someone had a practical Ability —”

“This is not Seijoh,” Tooru repeated and looked around, eyes wide and heart and head still throbbing. He still needed a moment to adjust, slightly dizzy, but he could say for certain that he knew what Aoba Johsai High School looked like and this wasn’t it.

First of all, Seijoh was not located in a dark, narrow alley that reeked of … He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Seijoh didn’t even have such alleys nearby. Second, the air felt significantly colder than it had at the bus stop. Sure, there could be differences in temperature, but he felt like it had dropped ten degrees Celsius. That could have only been his imagination, though, as he hadn’t ever experienced teleporting before, who knew what it did to your body. Third …

“I know this place. I think.”

At least it looked very much like the alley that he and Iwaizumi had gotten lost in when they had been first years on a trip to Tokyo. Normally he wouldn’t have been able to tell, as there certainly were a lot of these cliché dark alleys in which people usually got robbed in in movies, but the white lines on the wall almost exactly next to him reading ‘Seijoh was here!!’ were kind of a dead giveaway. Iwaizumi hadn’t approved back then.

Rubbing this into his face with a smug “Told you it’s a good idea!” went straight on Tooru’s List Of Things He Needed To Do Once He Saw Iwa-chan™.

For now, though …

“Why the hell are we in _Tokyo_?”

Sugawara’s smile managed to look not the least bit guilty. “I guess I don’t really have this … Travelling with another person thing down yet? At least we didn’t end up five meters in the air like last time I tried this with Daichi. That’s an improvement!”

“How is it an improvement to land in an entirely different prefecture?” Oh god, this was bad. This was really, really bad. And he couldn’t even hate Sugawara for it (which was saying a lot, since he could hold grudges others would consider inhuman). He had only been saving their lives, after all.

Still.

 _It could be worse_ , he told himself. _I could be Ushiwaka._

On a side note, this was all Ushiwaka’s fault. Had he not startled Tooru at the bus stop he would be at Seijoh right now, dealing with whatever Devil Mattsun and Makki had let in, with the records there, too, and rightfully scolding Iwaizumi for not calling, and overall in a much better place that wasn’t Tokyo.

Well, this could have been avoided had he saved his alarm, but … No. Ushiwaka’s fault. All of it.

“Teleport us back,” Tooru said. It was really the only way. Even if they needed to go twice or even more because Sugawara was probably the most incompetent Demon he had ever encountered, not that he had really ever paid attention to that. As long as they got back … Maybe he would be able to explain how they had ended up here, maybe the Unity higher-ups gracing the school with their presence would understand.

But his hopes dropped quickly when Sugawara only shook his head, almost looking apologetic but not quite. “Sorry, I can’t. Taking two people at once his hard enough and I can’t do it without pauses in between.”

“That sounds _incredibly_ wrong the way you phrased it.”

The Demon had the audacity to wink at him and continued, otherwise unfazed. “I could go back on my own, I have the precision for that, too, but that’d mean you’d be stranded here before I come back. Although that means I could explain everything before you get thrown out of the Unity for not showing up or something. Iwaizumi-san could go in your stead as long as he knows what happened …”

 _Please don’t leave me alone in Tokyo_ , was what he wanted to say, but he couldn’t, no way. Because Sugawara was right and also because he wasn’t going to sound like a whiny scared child to anyone but Iwaizumi, since he wasn’t afraid or intimidated at all, thank you very much. He had been here before. Granted, he had been lost back then, but at least he wasn’t in completely unfamiliar territory … Wait.

“How high were the odds that we landed in this exact alley in an entirely different prefecture I have been to once in my life?”

“You’ve been here?” Sugawara raised his eyebrows and let out a quiet whistle. “Right, yeah, you said something like that. That explains a lot. I was wondering why it was a dark alley in Tokyo of all places. But those mistakes seem to be influenced by subconscious thoughts or memories of the people I’m taking with me, so that makes more sense.”

It didn’t, really.

Tooru drove a hand through his hair and sighed deeply. “Let’s get out of this alley first, then you do your teleporting thing once we know where exactly we are. I think there’s a school nearby, so there’ll hopefully be people who can help us out. And then we somehow fix this thing, get ourselves back to Miyagi where we belong, and punch Ushiwaka in the face.”

“Sounds like a plan. Well, aside from that last part. I really don’t think we should punch Ushijima-san in the face. Why would you even want that?” Right. Sugawara apparently hadn’t seen the reason why Tooru had not gotten into his bus. He didn’t feel like explaining and just waved it off. Besides, ‘I ran into him and was too shocked to move’ sounded pathetic enough to his own ears.

Instead, he started walking towards what he hoped was the right direction, if there was any right direction at all. As long as they got to the school, it was okay, he supposed. He couldn’t even remember its name, just that he had thought their uniforms had looked ridiculously professional when he had seen them back in his first year, as if they were trying to sell a contract, not study at high school. If he remembered correctly, it wasn’t that close to the alley, but not that far, either. Ten minutes, maybe.

He’d fix this. Somehow. He’d get back to Seijoh, he’d just have to trust Sugawara to not mess it up (the concept of trusting a Demon still sounded wrong to his ears, but this was his first and hopefully only time to be depending on one, so he had to roll with it), and things would turn out fine. It wasn’t like this was the worst situation he had ever been in, not by a long shot, but so much stress this early in the morning seemed just unfair.

Tooru stepped onto a bigger street and looked around.

They were in the suburbs, as he remembered it, a place not that different from where his bus station back in Miyagi was located. The road went down a little, so they were probably on some sort of hill, and quite a few people, mostly students in that uniform he recalled, were making their way to his right. Well, at least he knew now which way to go.

“Wait a second, I know this uniform,” Sugawara piped up behind him. “Grey blazers, blue striped ties, as if they’re bank accountants instead of students? I’ve seen that on a photo once. Which was it …”

It was kind of a comforting feeling to not be alone with his thoughts about the uniform, Tooru figured. Even though he had to admit it wasn’t ugly. He still preferred the Seijoh uniform he was wearing, even if the girl one looked cuter. Yahaba had come to school in the latter once. Kyoutani had looked like he had been about to cry.

“Shinzen? No, not Shinzen. I know it’s not Nekoma, they wear red. Uh … Fukurodani? If it’s Fukurodani, we can drop by and say hi, too. I haven’t seen them since the last training camp.”

Fukurodani … The Tokyo powerhouse, second only to Itachiyama. He had never really paid that much attention to them, but he knew of their existence, at least, and that their ace and captain, one of the best in Japan, had a weird hairstyle. Apparently, he was also a pretty strong Encrypt. Other than that, though, he couldn’t think of anything related to the school. He might have known more had Seijoh made it to nationals, had faced off against them, but as it stood, he had never played them once.

It was all the more surprising that Karasuno had, apparently.

He shot Sugawara a look that must have been pretty obvious, as the Demon laughed. “We got in thanks to Nekoma, our destined rivals and all. And we actually learned a lot, but the last training camp got cut short because of a Devil warning, so it’s been a while.”

When Tooru looked back, a few of the people on the street looked at them. Some seemed as if they were contemplating to ask them if they were lost, some even stopped walking. Of course. They probably hadn’t seen the Seijoh uniform or the completely black one of Karasuno before. Tooru and Sugawara stood out more than he would have liked; usually he didn’t mind the attention, cherished it, even, but right now he had bigger problems.

Without saying much more, he went down the street, Sugawara close behind him, and pretended to fit in. It didn’t really work. Some girls in a sailor style uniform were whispering to each other, one boy held a first class in his arms that didn’t take its lynx eyes off him, rabbit ears twitching, or maybe it was looking at its fellow Demon behind him. He had no idea how communication between Demons worked, with Sugawara speaking the human language and all.

“This feels really weird.” Sugawara picked up his pace to walk next to Tooru and glanced around, blushing ever so slightly. “I’m used to the people at Miyagi looking, but … Do you think they can tell?”

“That you’re a Demon?” He wasn’t sure. Back when he had first seen Sugawara at their first practice match he hadn’t noticed anything unusual about him, but he hadn’t paid much attention to him, either. When he had first faced off against him at the Interhigh, he had already heard about it, so any difference might have been imagined. “I guess it’s fine as long as you don’t speak, your voice kind of gives it away,” he mused. “Which you probably should, who knows how they handle Demons around here? You might just get killed.”

“Thank you for the encouragement,” Sugawara retorted, eyebrows furrowed.

“You know me, Suga-chan. Always happy to help.”

“Holy shit, is that …?”

Sugawara flinched at the sudden shout coming from one of the Fukurodani students and Tooru could have sworn the Demon tried to hide behind him, regardless of the fact that they were in an open space and there were people around them in all directions.

He tried to make out whatever the boy had pointed out, pretty sure that the student hadn’t meant Sugawara, but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. _Maybe he was just talking about trading cards or something_ , he thought.

Until a bunch of people in front of him suddenly disappeared.

There was no flare of colour, no fading away, or anything of the likes. As if someone had deleted a file, they were simply gone. It happened so fast Tooru narrowed his eyes and wiped at them repeatedly, almost certain that what he had just seen had been his imagination.

And then it happened again.

Group by group of talking students disappeared without trace until those who were still left started screaming and running the other direction, in vain. The street was emptying at a rapid pace and—

“I’d say we run, but that doesn’t seem to help,” Sugawara murmured, clutching to Tooru’s white blazer as if that would do anything.

“What’s even happening? Is this a Demon’s power?” Tooru tried not to sound as panicked as he felt, but his heart didn’t obey him and his breathing picked up. Whatever was happening, it wasn’t good. At all. And of _course_ they had ran right into the drama, because today hadn’t been bad enough already, and it was still morning, and he had absolutely never done anything to deserve any of this.

“Most likely.” Sugawara seemed a lot calmer in comparison, turning his head to look around the place. “But if we’re still here, then it probably won’t take us. We stand out the most, so we’re the easiest target.”

“Or maybe it just wants to save the best for last.” That was what Tooru would have done, anyway.

“As long as we don’t know what’s happening, we should probably pretend we haven’t seen anything. Maybe it’s hesitant because of me, or maybe it _can’t_ take us because of me. Or it doesn’t want you.”

“Who are you, Iwa-chan?” His words didn’t come out right, shaky and too quiet for them to leave any kind of effect. He hoped desperately that Sugawara was right – even if that meant he wasn’t good enough for the Demon even though all the others had been, in which case, _fuck you, Demon_. But something irked him about the idea of just letting this happen. People had disappeared around them, they might be dead or kept in some sort of prison or deported somewhere far away and Sugawara just wanted to go on?

It was moments like these that he felt painfully reminded that the boy next to him was, in fact, a Demon.

As if he had read his thoughts, Sugawara said, “We can’t do anything for them. We have no Abilities, remember? I could try and track down where whatever did this has sent them, but that’s not easy. It’s best if we inform someone else as soon as we can before throwing ourselves headfirst into this. Plus, we still have no idea what actually happened.”

He hated that he made sense.

Tooru opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, a high-pitched scream echoed through the street.

The pain piercing his head felt awfully similar to what had happened at the bus stop; it wasn’t as bad and he didn’t feel like his brain was being ripped out of his skull, but it still hurt, and he squeezed his eyes shut to block it out. It didn’t really work.

Something tugged on his sleeve and he expected Sugawara to pull him away, but nothing like that happened. Instead, it seemed more like he was holding him in place. The Demon or whatever it was did not stop shrieking.

Even seeing nothing but black he felt like the world was spinning around him.

Until it was not.

“It’s invisible,” an unfamiliar voice said, calm and low, but slightly breathless.

“Is it a second or a third class?” Sugawara.

“Not sure, but I’ll go after it either way. I think it’s what I was searching for.”

When Tooru opened his eyes, slowly, he saw another boy standing a few meters away, next to Sugawara. He had never met him before, but he did recognize him; maybe he had been on TV or something. With his head still spinning (god, how he hated this, he shouldn’t be like this) he didn’t dare move closer, but from here, it looked like the newcomer was about his height, maybe a bit shorter. He was wearing a Fukurodani uniform, and neatly at that, other than some of the students from before. His hair was short and black and rather messy, but in a good way. In his hand he carried a violin, other than that there was nothing special that met the eye.

He was also really pretty.

Tooru was immediately wary of him.

Not because of his looks – he knew he was handsome himself, so any kind of good-looking = evil theory some people (read: Iwaizumi in his early days) had established didn’t hold true – but rather for the air that surrounded him. He seemed unfazed by the whole situation, the now empty street, the invisible Demon that had probably made other students disappear, the two outsiders that were still here.

Which could mean two things. Either he saw stuff like this happen on a regular basis and knew that they would be fine, or he didn’t care about them and was only out for any reward killing or sealing the Demon might bring.

Sugawara didn’t seem shaken though, at least not by the new guy. “You’re searching for it? Is it well-known around here? Because if so, how come you still have people?”

“It’s a complicated story,” he answered, which was exactly the type of response people gave when they had something to hide. Tooru trusted himself to walk over, one step at a time.         

The Demon noticed him and met him halfway, gently shoving him over as if that was necessary, what the hell, Suga-chan. He nodded towards the Fukurodani student, then Tooru. “Oikawa-san, this is Akaashi Keiji. Fukurodani’s setter and … Slayer, was it?” The other – Akaashi – nodded at that. “Akaashi, this is Oikawa Tooru, you’ve probably heard of him before. Setter for Aoba Johsai. And before you ask how we ended up here, let’s just not bother.”

“Nice to meet you,” Akaashi said. His expression was unreadable. Or blank, if you wanted to call it that. It threw Tooru off for some reason. He was usually able to figure people out pretty quickly, but Akaashi’s face betrayed nothing at all and it was frustrating.

“Yeah, nice to meet you too.” It was accompanied by a pretty half-assed version of his trademark fake smile but he couldn’t really bring himself to care anymore. He should write a list of things that had already happened this morning for the sole reason that he wanted to see how long it would get in text form. After a moment of consideration, he added, “Akaacchi.”

Nothing said ‘I am probably not going to like you’ better than a nickname. (Ask Ushiwaka-chan and Tobio-chan. His friends at Seijoh, on the other hand, didn’t really count, obviously, which kind of decimated the whole idea of it, but he still liked to believe he could piss people off with it.)

To his surprise, or maybe not, Akaashi didn’t even address it. He silently admired the boy’s composure when he turned to Sugawara again. “Could you track it? If it’s what I think it is, it might be the reason why there was shift in the Between.”

“Wait, you know what’s going on in the Between?” Sugawara sounded genuinely shocked, something that didn’t happen a lot, at least not when Tooru was around. The latter felt similarly, though. _Nobody_ knew what was going on in the Between. The Demon didn’t, the Ability users he had met didn’t, normal people most definitely didn’t, either, and the entire idea of it seemed so strange he wondered if there was a hidden camera around.

That would explain a lot, actually. Maybe this was all some big show.

Somehow, he doubted it.

“Like I said, it’s a complicated story. There’s definitely something wrong here though. I’ve never heard of a Demon who could make people disappear, and on top of turning invisible, at that. If it can really affect the Between, it might have even brought the people there. I’ve only seen it from far away though, so I’m not sure. And it probably couldn’t affect you because you’re a Demon, and then Oikawa-san was safe too, because you were near him.”

“A Demon that can transport people to the Between?” That sounded crazy. It made sense, in a way, Tooru supposed, if there were humans who could seal Devils to the Between, but a Demon Encrypt seemed like something nobody should ever mess with or even encounter.

Still, if something so powerful existed, surely he must have heard of it before.

Also, if, hypothetically speaking, the theory was true, it sounded like the exact opposite of something anyone should mess with. He liked the thought of the whole ordeal being less screwed up much better.

 

“Well, either that or it teleported them elsewhere,” Akaashi stated, raising his head to look up the hill as if he could find the answers there. “They can’t just disappear forever, that’s not how it works. So they have to be somewhere. Of course, I think we can all agree that it would be best if we’re overestimating it.”

“I kind of doubt that.” Sugawara’s voice was now tinted with an unusual amount of concern that didn’t exactly make Tooru feel better. “Either way, someone should go after it, but it’s obviously going to be dangerous.”

For a moment Tooru could have sworn to see Akaashi’s expression shift, just a bit, to something that might have been akin to … Worry? Fear? The look was gone in an instant though, so maybe he had just imagined it. His voice betrayed nothing, either. “I will take care of that. You two should do … Whatever it is you’re doing here.”

He expected something like, ‘what _are_ you doing here?’ but Akaashi just nodded at them before going up the hill in an impressive speed for someone who was walking. Tooru let his gaze linger on the disappearing student for a moment. He wasn’t _really_ planning to go after the Demon alone … Was he?

It was true that something needed to be done immediately, he had said that himself and was still itching to follow Akaashi, his chain a heavy weight in the bag hanging at his side. But if that thing could really access the Between … Or even if it couldn’t, it had transported countless students elsewhere. That wasn’t something a student should handle on his own – not to mention that going on his own could come with legal consequences even if he succeeded.

He would have absolutely done the same thing, but from an outsider’s perspective, he _could_ see how reckless it was. Not that he didn’t know that in the first place, still, everything was different depending on whether you were the one who did it, he supposed.

Which was exactly why.

“Suga-chan, can you teleport back to Seijoh? The faster we set everything right the better, plus you can get help this way. I’ll go over to Fukurodani, it shouldn’t be that hard to find. We’ll meet again as soon as possible, at the school, I guess.”

The look Sugawara gave him betrayed slight disbelief and for a moment Tooru wondered whether he had just been too obvious, but then he received a small nod. “Alright. At Fukurodani, asap. I’ll take the information to the Unity guys at Seijoh too, who knows where this thing will pop up next. Oh, and I’ll warn the rest of my team, but I’ll hurry up. Don’t do anything stupid.”

 _Perfect._ “Are you mocking me, Suga-chan? I never do stupid things.” He got no answer.

The Demon was gone in the blink of an eye, but unlike the disappearing students, he did leave a small flash of light upon his teleportation. It left Tooru to wonder how exactly this worked – but it was a thought for another day. Right now there were more important things to do.

He turned and grabbed the chain from his bag while walking up the hill in what he hoped was Akaashi’s direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **OIKAWA TOORU'S LIST OF THINGS THAT HAPPENED THAT ONE TUESDAY MORNING**
> 
>  
> 
> 1\. overslept  
> 2\. ran into Ushiwaka  
> 3\. missed bus  
> 4\. forgot about the meeting  
> 5\. wasn't there for a Devil in the gym  
> 6\. encountered a Devil  
> 7\. got teleported to Tokyo by Suga-chan  
> 8\. witnessed students disappearing  
> 9\. met Akaashi Keiji  
> ...


	4. Accompaniment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **An _accompaniment_ is an additional part of any kind that is less important than another, which it serves to support and enhance. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, this chapter killed me. I was stuck on one part for a while and I still really don't like it, but the next ones will be more fun to write and therefore also more fun to read. I hope. ;^;)/ (The only thing I truly KNOW is that I'm pumped for the two characters at the end ... And Akaashi's mom. I like her in my HC.)
> 
> I wanted to do more with the chapter title but I guess it still fits with enough imagination. This is what happens when you only semi-plot the story itself. Uhm.
> 
> Fun fact ... I have no fun fact, I just wanted to say "fun fact", it's 1AM and I might need sleep. //falls over

Akaashi Keiji was missing his classes.

It would leave an ugly stain on his otherwise good records, but once he had felt the presence of the Demon nearby this morning, he had known that this would take a while.

That he had been able to feel it had already said a lot about its power levels. It was almost never the case. Some other Ability users had said that they could sometimes feel strong Devils approaching, but this had been the first time it had happened to him. A strange feeling – one that had felt off, somehow, but now that it was gone, and for a while, he just couldn’t manage to recall or describe it. He had simply _known_.

It must have been a lighter version of what had happened to Bokuto.

He hadn’t felt it ever since what had happened at the hill a few hours ago, so he had no idea where to search for the Demon. At first, he had figured that it would probably travel to places with a lot of people to do its work for whatever reason it had, but the next closest group would be the one of students at Fukurodani, which he most definitely wanted to avoid.

It was probably stupid and certainly reckless, nothing he would usually do, but there was still the lingering sense that something would go terribly wrong if he dragged more people into this. He knew his Ability well, and his limits, too. When he had encountered the Demon back there, he had been able to hurt it and drive it away, so he knew how to defend himself in a crucial situation. With, say, Bokuto or even Konoha …

He had seen it several times before, the way their expression had grown maniac. The way their bodies had twitched and the air around them had seemed to vibrate. The way their voices had turned strained and louder.

They hadn’t been able to stop using their Abilities, the eyes of the wooden owl glowing in a myriad of colours, wards circling Konoha and the group in blinding light.

It had been terrifying.

And with a Demon like this, the chances of it happening again weren’t exactly low.

Suzumeda didn’t have such problems; Healers rarely did, in general, and their bodies were more enduring than that of others. In another situation he might have asked her to come with him, but his top priority was on keeping Bokuto and Konoha as far out of this as possible and Suzumeda might just be the only person he could trust enough to keep them were they were. And since nobody had followed him yet, she was apparently succeeding. Well, that or the two boys could be way more subtle than he would have ever thought.

The midday’s sun hung high over the near-empty public garden, not providing enough warmth for Keiji to get rid of his blazer, but shining in his face pleasantly enough. Outside school hours this place acted as a meeting point for many, a very compact version of a park that showed exactly how they were on the outskirts of Tokyo instead of in the city. He wasn’t sure how he had ended up here, as the only Demons he could see were first classes, some sitting on the branches of trees, some searching for the warmest spots to relax. Under a nearby bench a cat was hissing at something that vaguely resembled a hybrid of a small dog and a goat, quietly screaming back in return in a flawless C major triad.

It was certainly a nice place, he figured, but not exactly one that helped him. Still, he probably deserved a break after hours of almost continuous walking at his highest pace – at least years of volleyball and hunting had improved his stamina –, so he settled down on the one of the wooden benches near a small pond, the first fallen autumn leaves already floating on the water. Pale greens, warm reds, lively yellows and oranges – the colours painted around him reminded him of his room. It made him feel at ease in a way. Slightly less guilty about what he was doing, slightly less wary of what he was tracking down, or trying to, at least.

Keiji took a deep breath and allowed himself to close his eyes for a moment, inhaling the cool air as he tried to think of his next destination. Who knew just how far the Demon had teleported? Maybe it wasn’t even in the prefecture anymore. Anything could happen with Demons, as Sugawara had skilfully shown. He hadn’t even known it was possible to teleport other people among oneself. It must not have worked too well though, at least he couldn’t think of any reason why Sugawara and … Oikawa, was it? Why Sugawara and Oikawa were here, and in school hours at that. It wasn’t his place to ask though.

He wondered where they were now. Maybe they had gotten back, taken the train or found another way. Maybe they were at Fukurodani right now, or had decided to just go with it and take a day off. It sounded irresponsible for Sugawara, but who was he to judge? In terms of responsibility, he wasn’t exactly being the best role model. Who knew what Oikawa would think of it though. Keiji still wasn’t sure whether he had imagined the setter’s gaze on him, calculating and … Distrustful? It might have been his own imagination, though he couldn’t blame Oikawa for being wary. He hadn’t exactly made the most professional entrance.

Not that there was anything to do about that now, and the Demon took priority, even if he had to admit that the more he thought about it, the more the ugly truth of him being at a complete loss of what to do about it settled in. Maybe this was too much for him to handle. No, it was almost definitely too much for him to handle. But he had known that, hadn’t he?

One of the flying Demons in the trees a little behind him let out a humanoid shriek that scared Keiji less than it probably should have. When he turned around, he saw the first class fall from the branches and catch itself before it hit the ground, spreading rainbow-coloured wings with razor sharp edges glittering in the sunlight, and the wind carried it away. _It would be practical if I could fly_ , Keiji thought, not for the first time today.

That was when he heard something.

It wasn’t loud, most people probably wouldn’t have picked it up. The only reason he even noticed it was probably because he was used to paying attention to his surroundings more than others, as OWL’s wide-ranged Slayer and as Fukurodani’s setter, plus he had good hearing from practicing music for a long time. This was not a note, though.

This was an ever so slight pant.

He wouldn’t have given a second thought, someone had probably been startled by the Demon’s cry, except that _there was nobody here_. From the moment he had stepped onto the grounds of the garden, he had been the only person around. Except that wasn’t the case now, was it?

Had someone followed him?

If this was Bokuto, he had to commend him for his never before known subtlety. If not … Why would anybody else follow him? And be quiet enough about it that he hadn’t noticed until just now?

Keiji narrowed his eyes and touched the key to his violin case, the cool metal dangling from the loose string around his neck. Maybe it was a Demon, although _no, that doesn’t make sense, it sounded human_ , but that made even less sense. Maybe there had been someone here after all and he had to scold himself for not noticing before. Where did they even hide? The sound, now quieted down, had been small enough that he couldn’t make out where it had come from. There were some bushes around that might be able to hide a person if done skilfully, but …

Maybe he had imagined it? It seemed possible. Plausible, even.

He sighed, still tense, but exhausted, too. This wasn’t his day, was it? Was it anyone’s day in general? It certainly wasn’t Bokuto’s, either, or Sugawara’s and Oikawa’s, or that of the students that had disappeared. At a loss of a better idea, he resorted to the simplest tactic there probably was.

“I know you’re here. You can come out, you know.”

He didn’t expect it to work.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Akaacchi!”

 

* * *

 

Listen, Tooru hadn’t _meant_ to follow Akaashi for hours.

He hadn’t meant to end up crouched behind a bush in what appeared to be either a very small park or a public garden, either, and he absolutely hadn’t meant to get up from said hiding place, his pants dirty from the ground, and make some semi-smug comment.

It had just kind of _happened_.

This was just the kind of thing you did when you wanted to go after a Demon before realizing that you had less than zero idea of how to do that other than follow another equally clueless person around. If he wanted to, he could easily mark this down as an excellent stealth training though, and it was obvious he’d get tired and maybe just give up at this point now that he had the good excuse of Akaashi apparently being onto something. He wasn’t sure whether or not it had just been a wild guess or anything like that, because what was the point of keeping quiet about it for literal hours if he knew all along, but Tooru couldn’t find it in himself to care. Honestly, he was more surprised Sugawara hadn’t tracked him down yet.

Akaashi was sitting on a bench not too far away from him, and if he felt anything, it was well concealed under that impeccable, if pretty, poker face. Tooru couldn’t help but admire and envy him for that. He knew how to hide his own emotions well enough, but he usually needed a layer of fake cheerfulness or intimidation. Simply not showing a single thing was another talent entirely.

He opened his mouth to ask if he could sit down with the Slayer before he decided he didn’t need to ask and just walked over, a small sigh escaping from his lips as he dropped onto the wooden seat. Finally. A proper chair. Bench. Whatever.

“Why are you following me?” There was _some_ tinge of emotion in Akaashi’s voice, but what exactly it meant was a mystery. Something ranging from disbelief to exasperation, if Tooru had to guess. That was what he would have felt, anyway.

It was a question he had predicted. Obviously. Who wouldn’t have? So he recited what he had scripted in his mind for a while now, an answer he had repeated in his head so often he probably wouldn’t forget it for a while. “I couldn’t just let you go after that thing alone, could I? But you probably would have sent me away had I just asked to come with you – and you didn’t really leave me the time for that, either, tracking you down was hard enough, I’ve only been there once and you’re pretty fast, you know – so I stayed in hiding, but ready to help if anything happened.” It wasn’t a lie. Not the truth, either, but not a lie.

“How noble,” Akaashi said, sounding exactly like someone who tried to be sarcastic and ended up deadpan. For some reason, Tooru was reminded of Kunimi. “But you probably have bigger problems than this.”

“Well, yeah, I’m pretty sure Suga-chan is going to kill me once he finds me, but hey, all for the greater good.”

“You left Sugawara-san alone?” Genuine shock, this time.

“Technically, Suga-chan left _me_ alone,” Tooru corrected, since it wasn’t wrong. “He went back to Miyagi on his own to inform the authorities and set everything right regarding our absence. We did say to meet again as soon as possible though.”

“You left Sugawara-san alone,” Akaashi repeated, a statement, not a question.

Tooru nodded at that, no further point in denying it.

“Where did you agree to meet?”

He hesitated for a second, contemplating. If he told the truth, he might end up getting dragged there after all, which was the opposite of what he wanted. He didn’t mean to lie too much, either, as that usually only lead into trouble. And Akaashi _had_ seemed pretty intent on not going to the school. The most logical approach would have been to check it out, as there were enough people there for … Whatever that Demon even wanted to do. The other setter didn’t seem like an illogical person – the very opposite, in fact, judging from what Tooru had seen of him until now.

Deciding that it was as safe of a bet as any, Tooru said, “Fukurodani.”

There was a moment of silence until Akaashi shook his head. “If you’re going back there for today, it’s without me, sorry.”

Success.

“Though you don’t seem like you want to.” For the first time today, the other looked him in the face.

The sunlight hit his tan features just right, accentuating the sharp lines of his face and his heavy-lidded eyes (sea green? Viridian? With tiny silver spots that might just be his own imagination or the fall of the light), and instead of reflecting brightly off his black, slightly curly hair like it would for some others – Tobio, for example, and why exactly did he know that – it seemed to break and flow out at the impact, coating it in soft shades of blue.

 _He’s prettier than you_ , a voice in Tooru’s head that sounded a little like Iwaizumi remarked. _It’s just the lighting though. And so what if he is? I can appreciate aesthetics._

Why exactly he was arguing with that voice about the looks of a person he hadn’t even been supposed to meet was beyond him, but today was a weird day.

“Not necessarily,” Tooru got out a few seconds late. “I mean, I prefer living over dying, so there’s that.”

“Wouldn’t have figured.” Akaashi’s gaze dropped to Tooru’s hands and he realized he was still holding his weapon, hadn’t let go of it ever since he had drawn it at the hill. “You’re fighting Demons without an Ability. I know there are quite a few people out there who do that, but I always feel like you have a death wish.”

_“Have you heard? One of the volleyball club’s new first years is two-spirited!”_

_“Really? That’s so cool … Makes you wonder why others even bother unless they want to die, huh? You know, non-users. This one’s obviously meant for Demon hunting, so everyone else should leave it to people like them. Why’re they wasting their time in a sports club, though?”_

_“No idea, but I heard he’s pretty good too. Probably because of his Ability?”_

“We can’t all be _special_.” The sound of it was harsher than Tooru had intended it to be. He didn’t correct it, but toned it down a notch when he continued. “But that’s why the weapons and the Unity exist. We’re not worse off than Ability users, just not as flashy.”

“I suppose. I really don’t know that much about it, so I’m probably not one to judge.” If Akaashi had been hurt by Tooru’s tone, he didn’t show it. It was kind of a relief. “There’s one without an Ability on a team we’re working together with a lot, but he doesn’t have a weapon yet.”

“Wait, you’re letting him fight without a weapon?” That really _did_ sound suicidal. Well, either that or just sadistic on the team’s part.

Akaashi shook his head though. “He just comes with them and keeps out of danger. That’s what they tell him, at least. Yaku-san … One of their third-years tied him to a tree once because of it.”

They had to try that with Mattsun and Makki next time they were about to do something stupid. Letting out a laugh, Tooru jotted that down on his mental list. The image of it was already beautiful; knowing those two, they’d even turn the situation into an advantage (ripping the tree out or something). They always managed to do that somehow, even if they did things like, you know, let a Devil into the gym, which hopefully had been taken care of by now, because if not Aoba Johsai High School was probably history already.

Speaking of Devils …

“So, what are we going to do now?”

Akaashi shot him a look that read something among the lines of _why ‘we’?_ , but didn’t voice it. Instead, he sighed deeply, throwing his head back and closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again to look at seemingly nothing in particular. Tooru’s gaze seemed permanently fixed to him, and seriously, this was _not_ fair. (But maybe he was equally attractive, he told himself, and just used to it by now so it didn’t hit him as hard anymore. Plus he couldn’t see himself unless he was looking into a mirror, obviously, so who knew.)

“The longer I think about this, the worse of an idea it seems to me.”

“Honestly, same.” Not that he would have done anything differently if he had to redo it all. Although … It probably depended on the time of day from which he could restart. Were there people out there with an Ability like that? It didn’t fall into the four categories and he had never heard about it, so probably not. Demons, maybe? There wasn’t just teleportation to their powers, after all. If he could manage to find a Demon with that skill, it would make a powerful ally. Granted, it would also most likely try to kill him, so it probably wasn’t worth it.

“You need to get back to Miyagi though,” Akaashi mused after a moment of silence. “Do you have enough money for the train?”

Crap. He didn’t.

“Sure,” Tooru said, because there was most definitely a way to acquire it in a short amount of time of, say, a few minutes, and quite a lot of it, too, since this was an entirely different prefecture and all. There was always a way. Right?

… Right?

“You don’t.”

“I don’t.”

“I’m just going to assume Sugawara-san is out of the question, so … Is there anyone who could drive you?”

Was there? His mother would be pissed and worried if he called her now, plus she was working and he didn’t know her number at work by heart. She usually had her cell phone turned off, too, for a reason that was beyond him, and even if that wasn’t the case, he couldn’t remember that number either. His father had a free day, but wouldn’t drive all the way to Tokyo and Tooru didn’t want to force him to, as he only had a license because his work required it and was deadly afraid of actually driving.

Other than that … Maybe he could call Iwaizumi – he knew _his_ number, at least – and get him to search for help. If he wasn’t in class right now. What time was it again? Tooru had no idea.

Surely there would be someone around who would be willing to drive him, but for that he most likely had to go to Fukurodani, and aside from not knowing how to actually get there, that’d probably mean he’d run into Sugawara, and no, no way, there was a good reason he had been happy Akaashi was avoiding the school.

But he needed to do _something_ , he couldn’t just stay in Tokyo for god knew how long. Especially since this was only the suburbs. He had been in the centre of the city before, several times actually, but this? This was unknown territory.

“I’ll take that silence as a ‘no’.”

He might as well, huh.

Akaashi let out a long sigh. He seemed to do that a lot. “The sanest thing would be to go back to Fukurodani.”

“Let me tell you, dear Akaacchi, that despite everything, I’m not what you’d call a sane person.”

“’Despite everything’? You don’t seem very sane to me in the first place.”

“Wow, you’re rude!” Tooru gave an exaggerated pout. This guy really couldn’t be called a liar, could he? Well, not that he knew that after such a short period of time. But mean comments aside, Akaashi didn’t seem to be as bad of a person as he had assumed in the beginning, which was both a relief and a jab at his self-confidence. He had always considered himself good at reading people. Maybe there was more to the second year that met the eye? Probably. There was to everyone, Tooru supposed. And he _could_ always write it off as a simple misconception due to lack of time. He hadn’t been able to read a lot from the hours of following him around either, only that the other had perfected the skill of patrolling an entire area without running into people who knew him.

“And you’re stuck here while you could be in a much better place had you done what Sugawara-san had told you to do,” Akaashi retorted, deadpan.

“Point taken. Wait, why am I being lectured by you? You’re not much better!”

They continued for a while, very effectively dodging their responsibilities by talking about nothing in particular. Tooru would have considered it a nice pastime under different circumstances, but he couldn’t quite feel comfortable with all of today’s events still lurking in the back of his mind. Was he starting to feel a little guilty? Maybe. Probably. Most importantly, though, he really did need to find a way back home. He could only hope that Sugawara had settled things at Seijoh enough that nobody would question him too much once he got back.

And that said Demon wouldn’t find him. He really didn’t want to see him angry. Judging from vague conversations he had had with Karasuno’s captain, it wasn’t what one would consider a pretty sight or in any way desirable.

Not that he could avoid him for the rest of his life. Or maybe he could, with their volleyball season almost over. If Seijoh and Karasuno were placed on different blocks in the Spring Tournament they might not even play each other. All he needed to do then was hope that they wouldn’t meet again after that, which meant Sugawara’s team (what was it called again, even? Something simple and boring, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember it) would have to be represented by its leader or Daichi again instead of Sugawara jumping in … Sounded doable.

Okay, he might actually be able to avoid him for the rest of his life. Which didn’t exactly motivate him to face the Demon.

“Oikawa-san? Are you listening?”

He had, in fact, not been listening. “Sorry, tuned out. What did you say?”

Akaashi looked as if he was about to repeat it, but stopped before saying anything.

Then, quietly, “There it is.”

 

* * *

 

It took him a fraction of a second to recognize the feeling.

A pull of sorts, but not really, instead he felt pushed away, but not that, either. It reminded him of the last time a Devil had gotten to close to him, filled him with a certain sense of … Not despair, rather _depression_ , though not as strong, but at the same time more violent.

Even now that it resonated through his body again, he couldn’t quite describe it.

But it was there, and it was unmistakable.

Keiji rose from the bench and unlocked his violin case before taking out the instrument carefully, its wood a familiar and comforting feeling.

“Follow me, but stay on the defensive. Make no sudden movements. Keep your chain ready,” he instructed Oikawa in a low voice. Where was the Demon? It was hard to make out the direction of where the feeling was coming from, which was never a good sign.

He didn’t feel comfortable with Oikawa around, as he would most likely only slow Keiji down and provide an extra target for anything that might attack them, but leaving him here was far too dangerous, so he was stuck with him. Had he been grateful for the third year’s distracting presence not long ago, now he feared he might get in the way, or worse, hurt. There was really no upside to Oikawa being here right now and not for the first time today, Keiji wondered what would have happened had he been a responsible human being. Definitely not this.

Keiji looked around, trying to channel his energy to find the source of the feeling. It was a similar sensation to what he felt when he used his Ability, yet so different in nature that comparing it seemed unjustified all the same. Warmth pooling through not his veins, but his entire body, pleasant and welcome – this was nothing like it. Less coldness than the absence of warmth, however that made sense.

But nothing.

Surely there should have been at least a slight nod in one specific direction, but the feeling remained stagnant. Which could only mean two things.

Either it was an illusion and Keiji was not skilled enough to notice or going insane, though the latter was, thank god, unlikely. Or …

“Or it’s everywhere.”

“Huh?”

Akaashi Keiji knew when to give up, and this might just be even worse than he had assumed.

He turned around on his heel and firmly gripped what he assumed was Oikawa’s wrist, ignoring the other’s protests as he pulled him out of the garden, hurrying in the direction of his home.

 

* * *

 

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a _breakthrough_ , and it’s definitely not what we’re looking for, but I think it’s pretty interesting,” the boy said and handed his friend the paper. “Plus if this is true … Somebody needs to do something.”

“Look who’s talking,” the other murmured, his eyes darting over the small black letters in front of him. The other was right. All the evidence pointed toward all of it being connected somehow. First his brother, and now this – it didn’t quite add up, but if there was a missing piece, everything could fall into place. It was definitely worth investigating.

“I’ve gotten stronger, you know that.”

He did know that. Had seen it first-hand. His Encrypt powers were still on the weaker side, but his friend was far from the scared shivering mess he used to be whenever they were in danger by now. Still, he couldn’t not make sure. “You really think you can help me here?”

“Yes.” The solemnness of the other’s voice caught him by surprise and he couldn’t help a smile.

“Don’t go hiding behind me when it gets serious. You don’t need to anyway.”

He could have sworn the boy’s eyes sparkled at that remark.

“I know, Tsukki.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No matter how much of a pain this chapter was to write, the fact that "quietly screaming back in return in a flawless C major triad" is an actual part of a sentence in this fanfiction kind of fuels me.


	5. Polyphony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **_Polyphony_ is the writing of music in many parts or in more than one part, with reference in particular to contrapuntal practices.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: has to get up in 5 hours because she starts her internship at a school today  
> also me: let's pump out a 4k chapter the night before that
> 
> I REALLY LIKE SATSUKI. (and yes I totally stole her name from Momoi)  
> I also really like the unneccessary Kagehina part at the end. I just wanted to showcase the dynamics lol
> 
> //throws in some implied past Oikage because she can't help herself

“You know, I’m tired of getting dragged away to places I hardly recognize.”

“Go back to the garden if you prefer dying, I guess.”

Tooru had been certain nothing could surprise him anymore, but the universe obviously always found new ways to prove him wrong.

The woman across from him had chin-length, messy black hair, wore a pair of thick-rimmed glasses and was leaning back in her chair, legs crossed, coffee mug in hand. Even though her eyes rested on him, it felt like she didn’t really look _at_ him, mind somewhere else, probably.

Akaashi’s mother – “Call me Satsuki, it’s fine.” – seemed in no way shocked by any of this. It had Tooru wondering whether her son brought in people from other prefectures after skipping class and fleeing from a Demon that could probably kill them, or worse, all the time. At least he knew now where his poker face came from; Satsuki had it down to a T. They actually did look very much alike, except Satsuki was significantly shorter, had slightly lighter skin and darker eyes. He couldn’t possibly guess her age though. 30? 40? Somewhere in between or even beyond that? This was a first. Apparently the Akaashi family had a thing for looking strangely ambiguous in one way or another.

“Even if I wanted to, I have no idea how to get there. Maybe Akaacchi – Keiji … Could show me, but where is he, even?” Not that he would have gone back there if Tooru had asked him. For understandable reasons.

Satsuki took another sip from her coffee and nodded in the direction of the spiral staircase leading up to what Tooru assumed were the other rooms. The apartment, located on the first floor, wasn’t big, but not small, either. They were currently sitting at the dining table in the living room, waiting for Akaashi to come back down. Maybe. He was kind of at a loss right now.

Everything that had happened from the time they left the garden to now was kind of a blur. He just remembered being pulled away, his feet struggling to catch up with Akaashi’s pace even after years and years of volleyball practice and Demon hunting. They had ended up in front of an unassuming row of apartment buildings before he had known it. At the door of the Akaashi apartment – 1-2 – Satsuki had let them in, not even questioning Tooru’s presence.

Ever since then he had sat here talking to her, quickly feeling comfortable. Satsuki had the same intimidating air around her as her son, but once she had started talking, she had come across as much easier to approach. For more reasons than one, he was grateful for it. Letting his guard down for once was a welcome change of pace.

“Dunno what exactly he’s doing, but I’m guessing he’s preparing a sleeping spot for you,” she said and turned her head to look out the window, frown deepening. “I’d drive you home or give you money for the train, but I’d rather you just sit this one out. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

Tooru followed her gaze and noticed dark clouds gathering at the sky, casting a grim shadow over the world. It was cliché, but it did fit the mood. Maybe it was a Demon’s doing. If the other one was a second class in league with others they were all screwed, and thoroughly. “As much as I’d like to go home, I have to agree. Do you know anything about it?”

She shook her head. “Besides what Kei-chi said, no. I mean, I had a feeling that there’s something out there, but I thought it was just my imagination. Guess I was wrong.”

‘What Kei-chi said’ (also, Tooru highly approved of Satsuki’s nicknaming skills) had basically just been that there was a powerful Demon out there they had ran away from. Whether they were safe now was probably debatable, but things like these hardly happened inside private buildings, so this was their best bet. Demons seemed to at least have a sense of personal space, or maybe it was like with vampires and they couldn’t come in without being invited.

(It obviously wasn’t, as they had told them in class more than once, but the thought still comforted him.)

“It’s probably going to be on the news soon,” Tooru mused. “I mean, it’s kind of a big deal.”

Somewhere above them, he heard a door close and someone walk down the stairs. Akaashi walked up to the table and said, “I set up the air mattress. Oikawa-san, you can sleep in my room, there’s not much space elsewhere. Mom, would you mind driving him back home once this all settles? It’s still the early afternoon, but I have a feeling this might take a while.”

Satsuki gave a half-hearted salute. “Sure thing. Was planning to do that anyways. You two are getting along or do I have to fear for your lives?”

“I, for one, am going to treat your son with care,” Tooru said and stood up to wrap an arm around the other boy, who gave him a side glance, but didn’t bother to get away or shake him off. In some of the situations Tooru had seen him in so far he would describe him as pure personified acceptance. Acceptance of the cruelty of life, that was.

“Alright then, I’d say let’s eat, shall we?” Satsuki smiled at them. “I can’t promise to make anything fancy, but we still have some things left. Kei-chi, Tooru-kun, mind helping me out?”

 

* * *

 

The 1st gym of Karasuno High School was an unassuming place. There was nothing special about it in any way; it had a storage room, a stage that was used for school events, a high ceiling, and plenty of space for training. It smelled like any other gym, like sports shoes and sweat, and the clock high on the wall, protected from stray volleyballs by a grid read 4:32 PM as the Karasuno volleyball club practiced as dedicatedly as ever.

Well, most of them, anyway.

“So, basically, shit’s going down?”               

“Language, Noya-san, you’re a bad influence to our kouhai,” Tanaka remarked and nodded. “But yeah, shit’s going down.”

Tadashi looked at the sheets of paper spread out on the ground between them. Tsukishima wasn’t here today, something about his cousin needing help that had really sounded more like a weak excuse, but at least he could forward the information he had acquired to their weird little group. “Basically, yes. We’re not exactly sure if the Unity has anything to do with it … But it’s suspicious, right? People just disappearing without a trace?”

“Suspicious? I’d call it creepy.” Nishinoya stared at the papers as if deep in thought, stroking his chin. “And we’ve never heard about it before, either. Shouldn’t this be like a big deal or something?”

“Maybe we should ask the others …” Tadashi started, but Tanaka waved him off.

“No way. We can be happy Daichi and Ukai-san even let us sit out like this. KRSN’s at the Unity … Tsukishima’d kick our asses, too.”

“Yeah, he made it pretty clear he doesn’t want anyone to know about this,” Nishinoya added.

Tadashi couldn’t help but wonder how exactly it had been those two, then, who had somehow gotten mixed up in all of this.

It had all started in middle school, when Tsukishima’s brother Akiteru had suddenly disappeared. There had been no letter, no records, nothing that indicated he had ever even existed aside from what the family owned. Tsukishima had always assumed that the Erasing Unity was behind it – they controlled every non-user who wanted to fight Demons, and most Ability users too, so of course not everyone entirely trusted them. However, Tadashi had always assumed they were good guys. Surely they wouldn’t just throw away one of their higher ranking hunters, right?

But Tsukishima had found more and more evidence for _something_ going on at the Unity. And when Tadashi thought about his own brother, the five year old Hikaru, simply disappearing like that … Of course it hurt. He couldn’t stand to see his best friend in pain like this, so he had agreed to help.

As the only Ability user in their little group, at least he could do something, although his Encrypt powers still needed a lot of work. And once Tanaka and Nishinoya had overheard them talking about it and insisted they’d help, he felt a lot safer. Maybe things would have been different if he was still the person from a year ago, but right now, he was determined to get to the bottom of this just as much as Tsukishima was.

For Nishinoya and Tanaka … He wasn’t sure. Both of them earnestly tried to help whenever they could. Sometimes they were valuable assets, but they slowed them down a lot, too, always getting themselves into dangerous situations. Tsukishima didn’t seem to approve of them being with them, but the damage had been done.

“But the last time it happened was in Kyoto, right?” At least those were the last records of it Tadashi had. People disappearing, seemingly at random, until a formerly crowded smaller shopping mall had been completely empty. A scary thought. It was obviously a Demon’s doing, but just how powerful could a single Demon be? He had never heard of anything like it before.

“No.”

He flinched at the familiar and strange voice being him before Sugawara dropped to sit on the floor next to him. “Tokyo,” the Demon said. “It was today. I was there.”

“Ah, right, there was something like that.” Tanaka grabbed his bottle from behind him and continued talking. “With Oikawa, right? How’d the meeting at Seijoh go, by the way? Is Oikawa still stuck at Tokyo? Because that’d be hilarious.”

“Yes, pretty normal, probably.” Sugawara sighed and ran a hand through his silver hair. “I can’t even really blame him. Which doesn’t mean I won’t, because I will, but I mean, I can understand him, I guess. I’m pretty sure he followed Akaashi. At least he wasn’t at Fukurodani. Must be hard not being able to teleport everywhere.”

“Pretty hard,” Tadashi agreed, nodding.

“Either way I think he’s safe for now … It’s not really my business. I tried to help him, since it was ultimately my fault we even got there, but if he refuses there’s nothing I can do. And more importantly …” He leaned forward to take a closer look at the papers spread out on the floor. “Yup, sounds like the thing we encountered. Akaashi tried to fight it and did hurt it, but it got away. It’s definitely not invincible and if he used his powers, that means he knew or at least felt like it was there … Still. It was scary. I’m guessing the reason it didn’t take us was because I’m a Demon though.”

“Maybe it just didn’t want Oikawa,” Tanaka argued.

Tadashi cleared his throat to get their attention back. “It seems to only appear at crowds, so it’s probably … Drawn to people. I mean, if it’s all about making them disappear or … Abducting them or whatever it is, that makes sense.”

“Uhm,” Nishinoya said, but Tadashi payed him no mind. If he kept getting distracted, they’d never finish this.

“So I guess we can kind of predict where it’s going? There’s no real pattern and it can probably teleport, so it’s still hard, but at least it kind of narrows it down? Unless it’s been outside of Japan, too. We’ll never be able to handle that. How will we even be able to handle it even if it’s only here?”

“ _Uhm_ ,” Nishinoya said, louder this time. “Didn’t we kind of agree not to let KRSN help us?”

A moment of silence fell over the group when the realisation hit them that Sugawara, Team KRSN’s own personal humanoid Demon, had just started joining their conversation as if nothing had happened. Which was indeed exactly what they had been trying to avoid.

“We really shouldn’t have these conversations in the gym during training hours,” Tanaka said.

 

* * *

 

An exaggerated groan echoed through the room. “It’s too loud. I can’t sleep like this.”

“What do you want me to do, stop breathing? Do you want me dead, Akaacchi?”

That was what he had been doing. Breathing. Akaashi was clearly not used to people sleeping in the same room as him, but this was ridiculous.

“You can be happy that you can stay here. I shouldn’t even trust you under normal circumstances.”

“Aw, I’m special to you? How sweet. Besides, you don’t seem too shaken by anything I do.”

“I know Bokuto-san,” Akaashi sighed more than he said it, as if it explained everything. “And I trust Sugawara-san.”

The way he said that, without any hesitation or doubt in his voice … Tooru couldn’t say it had taken him by surprise, but the thought of it still seemed strange to him. He himself trusted Sugawara too, he thought. Still, the idea of being actual … Friends or whatever you would call it with a second class Demon always managed to make him wonder whether he was being too naïve. Akaashi on the other hand seemed absolutely sure that nothing bad would happen with the Demon, at least not on purpose.

“Why?” Tooru asked. “Do you know him that well?” It hadn’t been meant to sound like he was implying a romantic relationship, but heck, he couldn’t bite back a, “Because I’m pretty sure he and Karasuno’s captain are a thing.”

“They are,” Akaashi said matter-of-factly. “And no, I don’t. But I do know him after our training camps, and never once has he done anything bad.”

“It could all be a trap.”

“A really elaborate trap, then, if he has to keep this persona up all the time.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Either way, could you please be quiet now? I’d really like to sleep. It was a long day.” He sounded more annoyed with every word, though not quite _mad_. Again: Pure personified acceptance.

“Yeah, a long day of not going to school and spending pretty much the entire afternoon watching bad reality TV shows.” That had pretty much been all they had been doing ever since Satsuki had concluded she wouldn’t let them outside again, aside from finding out that there was a cable in the house Tooru had been able to charge his phone with, thank goodness, and then somehow trying to tell his parents that _yes, I’m fine, no, I won’t be home by dinner, no, I’m not alone, yes, they are nice people who will not try to kill me_. He could still prepare himself for one hell of a lecture once he got home – even though this was not his fault, they should just order Ushiwaka there instead, he deserved it. “How come Satsuki isn’t even angry at you? I mean, I’m not implying she doesn’t care, but she seems used to it.”

Akaashi didn’t respond for a moment and Tooru almost thought he had fallen asleep – though very suddenly, he had to admit – until he heard, in a slightly lower voice than usual, “It’s not that she doesn’t care. I think she cares too much.” He heard the other shift in his bed, clearly done with the conversation.

Well, he could dwell over those words for a while. He knew better than to pry – if Akaashi had been a friend, maybe, but he had to agree that he could be happy to have even found someone who would let him stay. They didn’t know each other. Maybe this would change, if more things went off the rails, but as things stood, he would get back home tomorrow (and somehow evade Sugawara for the rest of his lifetime) and never see him again. Maybe they could trade phone numbers or something. He’d have to ask him in the morning.

While Akaashi kept quiet now, Tooru couldn’t even imagine himself sleeping. The air mattress was quite comfortable, the room smelled nice and it was neither too bright nor too dark, but he doubted anyone could blame him for being wide awake. Instead, he stared up at the ceiling, the scene at the hill finally starting to ease itself back into his mind.

The more he thought about it, the creepier it became. He had seen a few Demons with crazy powers in his lifetime, be it second classes, Devils, or even first classes. His neighbour used to own a hybrid of all types of pets that could make ink disappear just by looking at it, much to the dismay of his owner, who was a teacher. If that was possible, surely it could work with living creatures too – except it seemed impossible. The sheer amount of energy needed for that … If biology class had taught him anything, it was that the more sentient a being, the harder it became to alter by supernatural powers.

A Demon powerful enough to cause such a commotion was … Quite frankly, terrifying. And it was invisible too, _and_ it could teleport. Who was strong enough to defeat such a thing? Akaashi had hurt it, but nothing more. It probably needed to be sealed, but the stronger the Demon, the harder it got, if he believed what Shiida had told him so many years ago.

Shiida … Could she and her partners have done it? She had been Two-spirited, after all.

He knew another two-spirited and ridiculously talented user, and as much as it pained him to admit it, Tobio, if no one else, could probably defeat this thing. A Slayer and Encrypt – the most powerful combination … But the most dangerous, too. If he ever went into a power high, then help him god or whatever was responsible for this kind of thing.

Then again, Tobio had never shown too much interest in dealing with Demons. The only thing on his mind was probably volleyball. The moment he thought about it, Tooru regretted ever thinking this far. Every time he remembered just how much of a waste of a perfectly good Ability it was to just _not use it_ he felt like punching something. Why was Tobio of all people blessed with something like this, and not someone who actually would have put it to use?

Why not someone like him?          

It was a stupid and petty idea, he knew that. Nothing would change if he kept getting frustrated. Nothing would change if he _didn’t_ keep getting frustrated either though, so he had an excuse.

He wondered for a moment whether Akaashi would appreciate having Tobio’s powers. He was already a Slayer, and one that actually did something, so Tooru supposed it would only seem practical to him, wouldn’t it? But then again, he couldn’t imagine what it was even like to be blessed with an Ability. Sure, he had his chain, but without it, he was helpless. Though Akaashi was helpless without his Artefact, now that he thought about it.

Maybe they weren’t that different.

 

* * *

 

The room was empty except for the distinct feeling that something was wrong.

Hinata behind him let out something like a whimper. So he _was_ scared after all, ha. So much for ‘I’m not afraid of anything’.

It was more of a closet than a room, actually, at least concerning the size and the fact that it was shoved against the side of the abandoned gym. Probably used to be a storage room, even if nothing was in here anymore. The neon lights flickered on and of continuously, lighting up the dirty grey walls before fading into black.

Tobio wasn’t exactly sure how they had ended up here, Hinata’s dagger drawn and Tobio on alert. In fact, the gym had been an inviting place to practice volleyball, as it had only been shut down a few days ago and was still open for the public. Even at one in the morning. In fact, he should be out in the main gym right now. They still had to practice their new quick for the Spring Tournament. Instead they were here, searching for what was probably a Demon that kept dropping gravity on the balls and the balls only. Nobody could practice like that!

If that wasn’t enough, whatever the thing did caused a heavy air to lie over the place, diminishing both their motivation and physical ability. It was like the Demon held a grudge against sports. But honestly, why was it always him who had to deal with that?

Kageyama Tobio was gifted, Two-spirited even. ‘Stop wasting your talents,’ Oikawa had said back in middle school, and then again when they had met at the Inter-High. They had never been good friends or anything, just rivals and confusing first kisses, and he was glad to have that behind him. He didn’t miss the attention; Hinata constantly following him around because there was always something happening with Tobio, apparently, provided more than enough of that.

Like right now.

“Is it really here? But there’s nothing here. Unless … It’s really small! Or really flat. Or both! Or it’s like a chameleon. Or it’s invisible. Or …”

“Shut up, god damn it, I have an idea.”

He didn’t really. He just couldn’t concentrate with Hinata never shutting up.

If his powers were different, he might just have been able to randomly seal the air and hope to find something, but the only thing he really could do was create blades from shadows. Well, that and have them automatically seal everything that was at a point where it became possible and hurt everything before that. Well, _that_ and seeing things in slow motion if necessary and being otherwise hyperaware of his surroundings in general. And he was stronger, faster, and more precise in his movements than most others he knew. Plus it was hard to drain him of stamina, _plus_ his deduction skills when it came to things he actually liked doing were top-notch.

But aside from that, he was pretty much helpless.

“Uhm, Kageyama? What are we going to do?”

He felt like saying ‘find a different gym’, but how high were the odds that those were open in the middle of the night? This definitely couldn’t wait, if he went to sleep with so much leftover energy he would never be able to calm down, and the same was probably true for Hinata. Practice hadn’t exhausted them in the slightest today.

“Draw it out somehow?”

“How?”

“ _You’re_ the strongest decoy, you should know!”

“This isn’t volleyball! You’re the one with the powers!”

“You scored worse on your last math test.”

“How is that a good thing?”

Tobio was about to say something back when a high-pitched laugh echoed through the room, causing his friend to jump onto him in shock. “Get off me, dumbass, I can’t fight like this!”

Hinata looked momentarily confused before jumping back to the ground and murmuring, “Right. It was probably the Demon. I thought it was a ghost or something.”

“I don’t really feel like doing anything about it though,” Tobio said after a moment. His shoulders dropped and he was vaguely aware that he was being manipulated right now, but he just didn’t care. Instead, he yawned, feeling fatigue finally settle in.

Hinata nodded and they both left the gym, having done nothing at all, really.

Once they were a few meters away, both of them flinched simultaneously. They rapidly turned their heads towards each other, looking at one another for a moment before shouting, “The Demon!” and running back into the gym.

This scenario repeated twice before Tobio decided to just give up. “Let’s go to Shimada Mart. I’m pretty sure Shimada-san has a volleyball net behind his store.”

Hinata nodded, face betraying the exact same defeat Kageyama felt. One day he’d get this thing, but a motivation-dropping Demon was kind of unfair, really. “Shimada Mart it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a motivation-dropping Demon really is unfair though. although I don't need one to not feel motivated for anything but ... stuff like this. PRIORITIES


	6. Scena

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **In 19th-century opera a _scena_ is a dramatic scene that leads, in one way or another, to an aria or duet or more formal movement.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's the comma onslaught. at least it feels like it is, I don't even know how to punctuation in English I just kinda do it this is my German self influencing my writing style hELP
> 
> the Bokuroo was the funnest part to write I love Bokuroo I need to write a thing with them as the main pair one day omg
> 
> I wanted to add a little more but this was just the perfect place to cut it ... And it's already long enough, lol.
> 
> Also ... I feel really bad because I don't answer to all comments bUT I JUST USUALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY AAAAAAAAAH just know that every comment is read, appreciated, and filed away in my heart under "things that make me really happy" okay ;w;)/

“Damn it, I thought we’d sealed it already!”

The sounds of several people’s hectic typing was only overrun by their even more hectic conversation.

“We have to get this done before word spreads too far,” Kato Junpei, head of control for the teams W to Z, ordered nobody in particular.

Menari Sorako, team Y’s petite and pretty Healer, gave Alisa a sidelong glance before returning her attention back to her computer screen. “I thought this was a thing of the past … Everybody just kind of assumed we were done with this, didn’t we?”

“Well, _obviously_ we were wrong.” One of their two Slayers, Shibateru Taichi, was clicking away at a ballpoint pen, waiting for something on his screen to load.

Everybody was trying to keep their cool, to not freak out, and amidst all of them stood Haiba Alisa, with not a single clue what was actually going on.

She did know something had happened near Fukurodani Academy, at least that was what she had gathered from the pieces of conversation thrown around, and it had to do with a Demon, apparently, but that was about it. Not that she wasn’t used to it – while being one of the few humans allowed to pursue Devils and among the elite of the Erasing Unity, people still seemed to believe that she wouldn’t understand if they told her. Or maybe they just assumed she already did.

Usually, she didn’t mind; Alisa preferred to just react instead of plan in advance when it came to work, and until now it had proven to work, but she couldn’t help her curiosity perk up. It had been a while since she had last seen her co-workers so agitated about an emergency.

“I’ll fill you in later, Haiba-san,” Menari said as if reading her thoughts. “I need to get this in line ASAP so we can go, so I don’t have time right now …”

“Why is it us, though?” Oshiro Kanna, team W’s Guard, a tall, intimidating woman dressed in black, called from the other side of the office. “If it’s this urgent, shouldn’t they send, like, at least team M or something?”

“We’re the only free ones, it seems.” Kato jammed something down and Alisa feared for his keyboard for a moment. “I’m not going to just send one of your teams though. Just a second … C’mon … Ah, here.”

The intensity with which he pressed the enter key was scary. Kato cleared his throat before shouting, “Team W – Oshiro, Sasaki, Inoue, Shibata, Sano, and team X – Kotori, Aiyouma, Mishima, Katougawa, Ayagata! You’ll supervise from here and act as reinforcements if needed! Team Y – Menari, Shibateru, Haiba, Fukui, Hirano, Midokawa, Kirishima, you’re going out! Follow our instructions in any case! Team Z …”

Alisa tuned out at this part, focusing on the task ahead. They almost never sent their whole team – as it was the biggest among them and only four users of each Ability respectively were usually needed – and when they did, it was usually for more than one Demon in one place. Usually groups of second classes that had forged an alliance with each other. So much for a single Demon, even if it was powerful, seemed overkill. But if Kato deemed it necessary, it must have been.

Also, with so many staying behind as back-up, they didn’t seem to be too confident in team Y’s skills. Alisa couldn’t blame them – despite being considered part of the elite, they had the second lowest success ratio. Still high, but not as efficient as others. Still, it kind of stung.

Shibateru stood up and threw Alisa’s weapon – claws that could be pulled in and extended to an impressive range – at her. “Not much time, let’s go!”

“Excuse me, I am still the team leader,” Menari shot back with a glare before murmuring something to Kotori. Louder, she added, “He’s right though. Not much time. Haiba-san, I’ll explain it on the way. We’re meeting up with Kirishima and Midokawa at the usual place, I just sent them a message, so they know.”

Alisa retrieved her jacket from her chair and quickly put it on before tying her silver hair into a bun and heading for the door of the crowded, unsettled office in the Unity’s headquarters in Tokyo, her teammates close by.

 

* * *

 

Keiji had not gotten a lot of sleep.

Maybe it had been because he wasn’t used to sleeping in the same room as someone else, maybe Oikawa had really been too loud and it hadn’t just been insensitivity on his part, maybe he had worried too much. Whatever it was, now that the sun had risen and his mother had pretty much forbidden him to go to school today, he was regretting a lot of things.

First of all doing all of this in the first place. What had driven him to be so stupid? It wasn’t like him at all. He should have just gone back to school after the incident at the hill. Maybe Oikawa would be back in Miyagi now if he had. Also, the thought of facing Bokuto now did scare him a little. He had been too harsh, too stern, too completely and utterly stupid. Good god.

Second, letting things play out as they had at the park. It had been a clearer moment in which he should have just called it quits instead of striking up a conversation with the boy who had followed him. Being responsible would have saved him a lot of trouble, actually.

Third …

_It’s not that she doesn’t care. I think she cares too much._

What had he been thinking? It wasn’t his place to judge his mother’s actions, especially not in front of the aforementioned boy. He knew him for a day know, damn it. You didn’t just say things like these to people you didn’t know. Oikawa was probably imagining all sorts of things; he didn’t seem like the kind of person who’d just let a cryptic comment like that slide, especially after how Keiji had shut down the conversation after that.

And fourth and finally, after all had been said and done, even if he could have accepted all of it … There was one thing he would always regret, and that was letting him stay here in the first place.

Oikawa was a _morning person_.

Just like Satsuki.

“Ah, by the way, Tooru-kun, pay Kei-chi no mind right now, I’d say he’s not a morning person, but he’s really not even a person in the mornings.”

“I’m sitting right here, mom,” Keiji murmured, staring into his cup of black tea as if it contained the secrets of the universe. The worst thing about mornings what that while his mind was awake, his body tended to not follow suit until an hour after getting up. Sure, he could have joined in on everything they were talking about, but that sounded like too much work.

“I know, I was hoping you’d change if someone else is here. When are you bringing Koutarou-kun over again? You always looked much more awake when he was here.”

 _That might have been because he’s the kind of person who’s ruthless in waking others up_ , he thought. One time during a training camp, when Karasuno’s Yamaguchi wouldn’t wake up, Bokuto had filled a bucket with cold water and dumped it over his head. Needless to say, he had gotten in trouble, but Yamaguchi had not overslept again for the rest of the week.

Keiji heard someone, probably Oikawa, put down their cup. “I’m used to it, there’s this guy on my team who’s like this the whole day. And Iwa-chan … My best friend’s also not a morning person. I always try to get him to go on runs with me, but he usually refuses …”

“Teammate? Right, you’re a setter like Kei-chi, you said that yesterday.”

“Yes, I’m Aoba Johsai’s captain …”

They went on and on and Keiji just wanted to go to bed again. Satsuki on her own usually knew it was best to just say as little as possible to her son when he wasn’t quite awake yet, but he could hardly blame her for taking an interest in Oikawa. Also, as he knew his mother, she was definitely trying to make it easier for their guest, too.

Oikawa hadn’t seemed half as shaken by everything as most people would have, but if Keiji knew one thing, it was how to keep a poker face. Not freaking out about things you should probably freak out about was a helpful, necessary even, skill when it came to Demons. Although Oikawa was a lot more expressive and seemed laid-back at times, Keiji was sure he at least felt insecure. There were people like Bokuto and Konoha who wore their emotions on their sleeve, but most tried to keep them hidden, as he had found out by now.

“Shouldn’t you two leave already?” he sighed and finally looked up at the other two on the other side of the table, but his mother shook her head.

“Not risking it yet. I still have this bad feeling. Why do you think I want you to stay here instead of go to school?”

“Maybe you’re just seeing things.” Keiji himself didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary, though that might be because sleep was still weighing down on him. The scary feeling from yesterday hadn’t returned, but it only made sense that the Demon wasn’t nearby right now. That was why he had come here in the first place, after all,

“Better safe than sorry.”

He couldn’t really argue with that, and he had to admit he wouldn’t have been particularly thrilled about facing Bokuto now. On the other hand, he wanted to get this over with quickly. The longer he stayed away, the harder it would become, and procrastinating the necessary never did any good.

Oikawa poured some more coffee into his cup – a silly one with an owl and the words “The Owlmighty” written on a deep pink background. Keiji’s mother had bought it for him when he had been accepted to Fukurodani and Bokuto had been delighted when he had visited for the first day. Keiji wouldn’t admit it, but it might be his favourite cup. Despite popular belief (said popular belief usually being either Bokuto or Shirofuku) he, like any sane person, could appreciate bad puns sometimes.

“Want some?” The other boy held up the coffee can, shaking it. It didn’t sound like there was a lot still in there.

Keiji shook his head. He had his tea, after all, and he wasn’t much of a coffee person to begin with. “But thanks.”

“You sure?” Satsuki chimed in. “Maybe it’d wake you up.”

“The fastest way to wake me up would be to just leave me be until I can function. What was that about paying me no mind again?”

“I take back what I said, he’s worse than Iwa-chan.”

Keiji was debating with himself whether he had the energy to throw something back when he heard something vibrate close by that sounded suspiciously like a phone. His phone, in fact, if the rhythm he had set – something that was apparently made to resemble Beethoven’s fifth symphony – was any indication.

“Kei-chi, who’s calling you at this time of day?” Satsuki pointed behind her, towards the coffee table, where it was indeed Keiji’s phone that made the noise, the screen lighting up.

He stood up and almost sat back down again when he saw the familiar photo on the screen.

 **_Bokuto Koutarou_ ** _is calling._

Now that he thought about it, it had been weird he hadn’t received a call from him earlier. This was suspiciously late, especially for Bokuto standards. He must be really mad at him.

He couldn’t just turn it off though, so he took a deep breath and tapped the accept button.

“Bokut—”

“AKAASHI! You’re alive! Do you know how worried I was?! You can’t just disappear like that and not show up at school, and then the teachers said that something had happened with a Demon and people disappearing and I thought it had hit you but I lost my phone and nobody had your number and Suzumeda and Konoha wouldn’t let me use theirs and I kind of just really panicked but holy shit are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay! You can’t not be okay! You’re Akaashi, you’re always okay!!”

Keiji stood there for a moment, dumbfounded, and opened his mouth to say something but couldn’t, again, because Bokuto continued to practically shout into the speaker at an inhuman pace.

“I wanted to be angry at you but I’m just really worried like you looked so serious and you’re really scary when you’re really serious you know that? But if what the teachers said is true that’s just super fucked up and I honestly thought it got you and you don’t know how relieved I was when I finally found my phone again I’m running on like 5 percent battery right now so if I suddenly disconnect that’s why … But are you okay? You’re not in danger or anything? Because I’ll get Shirofuku and the other OWL guys and we’ll get you out of there!!”

“Bokuto-san, relax, I’m at home, I’m alright.” Physically, at least. Mentally …

He was a terrible friend. The absolute worst. It sounded like a Bokuto thing to think or say, but it was the truth. He could have at least called him or messaged Suzumeda or Konoha to tell them everything was okay, but it hadn’t even crossed his mind. Obviously Bokuto would think he died, with him not returning to the school after such a cryptic way to leave him alone. Hell, he would have probably jumped to the same conclusion had it been the other way around.

God, what was _wrong_ with him?

“Oh, thank goodness! Don’t ever pull anything like this again.” Bokuto sounded a lot calmer after the confirmation, though ‘a lot calmer’ didn’t say much by Bokuto standards. “I’d totally come over, but we’re kind of stuck here, my dad barricaded the door … And school’s cancelled. I don’t think a lot of people would have come anyways, after that. Do you know what happened?”

Keiji was close to saying ‘no’, but it would have been a lie, and a lie was the last thing he wanted right now. He shot Oikawa a sidelong glance and received a nod, all traces of a smile gone from the other setter’s face. Then, quietly, almost a whisper, he murmured, “Yes. I was there.”

“HOLY SHIT!”

“Jesus Christ, Bokuto-san, calm down! Yes, I was there, no, I wasn’t harmed, yes, I followed it, no, I didn’t find it. Or maybe I did, it’s complicated. Point is, all people on the round just started disappearing at random until only Sugawara-san, Oikawa-san … His friend … And I were left. I fought it and hurt it, but it was invisible and it seems to be able to teleport, too.”

“Wait, Sugawara’s in Tokyo? So I _wasn’t_ hallucinating when I saw him at school!”

“It’s a long story.” One that he would eventually explain, but not right now, as it was the least important thing of all of those that had happened, and a lot of things had happened. “Oikawa-san is with me right now, we’re at home and mom won’t let us out either.”

Bokuto was quiet for a few merciful seconds before asking, “Wait, you said ‘it’, so it’s really a Demon?”

“Yes. At least I don’t think there’s anything else that could do things like these. Even though it’s the first time I’ve seen anything like it happening.” There were a few powerful Devils out there, even second class Demons that came close. On first thought, some could do worse things, but the more you thought of it the worse it became. Not only was a combination of several powers – like invisibility, teleportation, and whatever the other thing was – pretty much unheard of, the real problem lied in where those people had _gone_. The easiest assumption would have been the Between, in which case … He better didn’t think about that.

“Wow. Okay, that’s really fucked up.”

“It is,” Keiji agreed.

There was silence for a few seconds before Bokuto cleared his throat. “So, uh … What now? The Unity’s probably already on it … I haven’t seen any news broadcasts on it or anything though, which is kinda weird.”

Come to think of it … It was true that there hadn’t been any reports on it yesterday. Keiji had just figured it would take a while for the news to reach the press, but by now it should have been everywhere. That sounded _really_ suspicious. Not that he needed even more drama on top of the one they were dealing with already …

“Whatever,” Bokuto continued, “the most important thing is you’re safe and not dead, I’m sure important people are dealing with this already … I’d really like to help though, but … Y’know. Locked in and all. You coming to school when it’s open again? Shirofuku said it’s not really sure, so …”

“Of course. We can talk once the situation has settled.” Eye-to-eye, not over a phone call, like it should be. Keiji kind of felt like he was about to break up with a boyfriend, not set a friendship straight before it went off the rails.

“Great! I’m totally gonna punch you though.”            

“I probably deserve it. And Bokuto-san?”   

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry.”

There was a moment of uncharacteristic silence from Bokuto’s end, but when he spoke up again, maybe it was just Keiji’s imagination, but things felt a little bit more right again.

“Holy shit I think the kitchen’s burning, Akiko! Are you trying to make pancakes again?! You know what grandpa said about— Gotta go, sorry Akaashi, see you!”

And with that, he was gone.

Keiji stared at his phone for a moment, wondering what exactly had just happened. But this was Bokuto, and you never knew with him and his mood swings, so he decided to not question it for now.

From the table, Oikawa and Satsuki both gave him a look.

“That sounded like a trainwreck from what I could hear,” Oikawa said, one eyebrow raised.

“It sounded like Koutarou-kun shouting, from what _I_ could hear,” Satsuki added and poured the last bit of coffee into her cup.

“Who even is this Bokuto-san? I mean, yeah, he’s your captain, but is he like … Your boyfriend? Your best friend? Your adopted son? Your long-lost brother you now have to care for?” Oikawa seemed genuinely confused, not that Keiji could blame him.

With a long sigh, he said, “No, yes, pretty much, hopefully not.”

“Ah. Okay. Makes sense.”

Satsuki smiled at Oikawa in a way that made Keiji wonder whether she had adopted him in the short timespan she had known him. They seemed to make a great team – or a devastating one, depending on one’s viewpoint; Keiji was leaning towards the latter – and he was happy he had such an open mother, but … This was kind of ridiculous. “You know, Toorun, if you have any questions, never be afraid to ask. It’ll be a nice change of pace for Kei-chi to talk to someone other than his friends from volleyball.”

Toorun?

Seriously?

Keiji sat back down at the table and buried his face in his hands, barely holding back a groan.

 

* * *

 

 **_@Tetsurou_ ** **_♥_ ** **_,_ ** **_Oct. 24 th_ **

**_8:36 AM._ ** _dude I’m sorry but I’m coming over right now, it’s important._

 **_8:37 AM._ ** _bro im ur bf u cant just call me dude thats so not romantic_

 **_8:38 AM._ ** _… I won’t even say anything about that.  
**8:38 AM.** anyway my point is I’m in front of your door in approximately three minutes and a half_

 ** _8:38 AM._** _!!!!!!_  
_**8:38 AM.** wait_  
 _**8:39 AM.** were locked in_  
 _**8:39 AM.** i dont think youll get in???_  
 _**8:39 AM.** i kno I wont get out_

_**8:40 AM.** sneak out somehow, idk, it’s not the first time we’d do stuff like that  
**8:40 AM.** it really is important there’s that Devil at Nekoma and Kenma won’t speak to me_

**_8:41 AM._ ** _wtf what have you done_

 **_8:41 AM._ ** _nothing  
**8:41 AM.** I think he just sensed work and decided to abandon all contact to society so he won’t have to do it_

 **_8:42 AM._ ** _sounds like a kenma thing ya  
**8:42. AM.** shouldnt u be here by now tho_

 ** _8:42 AM._** _I almost am wait_  
_**8:43 AM.** just need to find a way to get near your window_  
 _**8:43 AM.** damn it, why is your garden so big?_  
 _**8:43 AM.** and why are there plants everywhere what the fuck_  
 _**8:44 AM.** how am I supposed to climb anything here_  
 _**8:44 AM.** why can’t your room be closer to the ground_

 **_8:44 AM._ ** _u made it past the garden door???  
**8:44 AM.** how?????_

 **_8:45 AM._ ** _sheer willpower_

Koutarou was about to write a response to that when something blunt hit his bedroom window with a dull _thwump_. Immediately, he jumped up from his bed, threw his phone aside and rushed to open the window, finding his boyfriend two stories underneath it, his messy black hair ridded with … Leaves?

“Tetsurou!” he exclaimed, but only received a “shhhhh” in return. “Oh, right,” he added to himself, “Nobody’s supposed to hear.”

It wasn’t like his family hated his boyfriend, not at all; his dad had been a little reluctant at first to accept the fact that his son was gay, but once he had met Kuroo Tetsurou, professional life ruiner and part-time the reason why Koutarou had passed his last chemistry exam, all doubts seemed to have be thrown out of the window. Of course. You couldn’t _hate_ Tetsurou. That was just impossible. He had to know, he knew him better than anyone.

But he was still technically locked in. Although to be fair, _technically_ the garden of their pretty big house was supposed to be intruder-proof, so he didn’t know where they stood now. He vaguely remembered Miki, his 14 year old sister, and his grandmother put up some wards that should keep people and Demons out unless they were invited in. If they were Guards, it might have even worked. Every Ability user had some powers that would belong to another category, like Konoha somehow managed to turn his wards into weapons and the Encrypts of the Bokuto family knew how to set up some defence, but obviously, they were no masters. If he was being honest, Koutarou had never really managed to do it himself.

He saw Tetsurou typing something on his phone and a couple seconds later, Koutarou’s own phone started ringing. Its ringtone was a really cheery J-Pop number Shirofuku had set up for him and he had no idea how to change it, but it was catchy, so it wasn’t that bad.

Tetsurou immediately spoke. “Remember that one time we went to the lake at the middle of the night? How did you get out then? I didn’t come all the way from Nekoma to not drag you with me.”

“Hello to you too, babe, I’ll be right there!”

He had no idea _how_ … But hey, he was Bokuto Koutarou, one of the nation’s top five aces and OWL’s leader and Encrypt. The question wasn’t what could he do, but rather what _couldn’t_ he do?

“I’ll jump out the window,” he said, stuffing some of the chocolate bars he had stored for emergencies into an old backpack that had recently showed up again from out of nowhere. Three years, it had been three years until he’d last seen it, but maybe he should have just not avoided that one particular spot when it came to tidying his room for all that time.

“Kou, what the … You’re _not_ , do you want to break your bones?”

“You’ll catch me, right?”

“Do you know how heavy you are?!”

Was that a thing you were supposed to say to your significant other? Well, he took it as a compliment either way. Muscle mass and all.

Koutarou swung the backpack over his shoulder and climbed up the windowsill, looking down at Tetsurou and nodding to himself before flinging himself down.

“Incomiiiiiiiiiiiin— _Umph_.”

The ground he had landed on was surprisingly soft, just like a warm jacket, or maybe a person wearing that jacket. When he looked down, he found Tetsurou, on his back, arms locked around Koutarou’s waist.

“I hate you,” he panted.

“Aw, c’mon, you know you love me. I practically took your breath away!”

“Why am I dating you again?” Despite that, Tetsurou couldn’t hide his laugh no matter how hard he seemed to try. The low, quiet sounds and the vibration of his chest gave him away and reminded Koutarou once again of the answer to that question.

“Because I’m never letting you go, that’s why.” He pressed a quick kiss to Tetsurou’s lips and got off him – trying to untangle them first, which was kind of hard to do but he managed somehow.

The other boy drew his hands through his ever-messy hair (Koutarou wouldn’t have believed it was actually his bedhead had he not seen it for himself), catching some leaves in the process and making a face at them. “The lengths I go through for you, I swear.”

“Hey, you were the one who wanted me to come with you!”

“If they let you now. I’m pretty sure everybody heard that.” Tetsurou sighed and stretched, then pointed to the part of the hedge just behind an apple tree. “There’s a weak spot in your defence over there, someone fucked up, I guess. I wish I could make an outdated Dreamworks reference, but we can’t go over the hedge, we need to go through it. Which is why …” He pulled another leaf from his hair and wiped at his clothes. “If you value your hair, let’s just call it quits.”

“No way, I’ve come so far!” Koutarou protested and put his hands on his hips. “And I’m not letting you go alone! Devil at Nekoma, was it?”

“Not directly Nekoma, more like right in between Nekoma and Fukurodani, but yeah. It’s about twenty minutes by train from here. You got your Artefact?”

“Dude, I _sleep_ with that thing.”

Tetsurou looked around warily, but nobody appeared. Either they hadn’t noticed or they didn’t care. You never really knew with them. Especially if it was Akiko. Not that it was Akiko, she should still be in the kitchen trying to clean the mess she had made when she had tried to make pancakes. Again. And people considered _him_ a fire hazard. He had nothing on his twelve year old sister.

“You better not, you’re supposed to sleep with _me_ , don’t cheat on me with an inanimate object.”

“Wait, does that mean I can cheat on you with another person?”

“I don’t know if you can, I just know that you shouldn’t if you value our relationship.”

“Naw, I’d never.”

“Value our relationship?”

“Cheat on you!”

There was already a good chunk of the hedge missing from where Tetsurou had climbed through it. He’d just shove some leaves in there later or something so that his family wouldn’t notice, at least not right away. “Did you bring a machete or something or can you just make holes into hedges now?”

“Like I said, sheer willpower. And possibly a kitchen knife.”

“Have I ever told you that I love you?”

 

* * *

 

The clock read 10:27 AM and Tooru was lying on Akaashi’s bed, scrolling through lots and lots of texts from people commenting on his situation, including Sugawara, who wasn’t half as pissed off as he had expected him to be. If anything, he seemed indifferent, which was kind of worse if he thought about it.

There were some jokes from Hanamaki in the Seijoh group chat, a very concerned Yahaba (at least _somebody_ cared), a very trusting Iwaizumi who apparently believed that Tooru deserved it (the Iwaizumi way to say that he didn’t doubt he’d be fine, which was reassuring in itself), news of the gym not being as badly off as they had expected, and a rather, well, stylised version of a meeting log. In short, they had just minded their own business as if stuff like this happened every day. It probably did, in some people’s lives.

His father, like Iwaizumi, seemed to trust him enough to not even ask questions, and he hadn’t heard from his mother since yesterday. Takeru, unexpectedly, was the one most interested, wanting each and every detail and also photos.

“Hey, Akaacchi?”

Akaashi didn’t look up from his laptop, focused on the screen, and just let out a distant, “Huh?”

“Can I take a photo of you?”           

“Why would you want that,” he said, but it didn’t even sound like a question. Right now, Tooru felt like he could be glad he had even gotten anything in return. Once he was done fast-forwarding everything to Takeru, he’d help him out with research or whatever it was that he was doing there, but for now Akaashi was on his own and seemed to take it really seriously, if the way he was constantly typing something seemingly without pauses was any indication.

“My nephew wants to know what you look like, and I didn’t get you on the selfie with Satsuki yesterday. Also as a contact photo.”

“The fact that you have a selfie with my mother on your phone is already somewhat disturbing …” He stopped typing for a moment, staring into nothing, before turning around and saying, audibly confused, “Wait, contact photo?”

“Well, yeah,” Tooru said as if it was the most obvious thing. And honestly, it _was_. “It’s not like we’ll see each other a lot once I get back home, it’s only fair if we exchange numbers. To stay in contact, y’know? That’s what friends do.”

Akaashi opened his mouth, but Tooru continued before he could shoot it down. “And don’t go saying we’re not friends, you’ve saved my life … Let’s say one and a half times, and we’ve slept in the same room and had breakfast together and may I remind you of that really nice, if pointless, conversation yesterday? We _are_ friends, don’t even deny it.”

“Isn’t it a little soon to consider us friends?”

Tooru shook his head. “Normally, maybe, but nothing’s been really normal lately, and most people don’t go through this much in just a day. Let’s call it time lapse friendship or something. So can I take a photo now or what?”

Akaashi hesitated for a moment, probably contemplating his choices and coming to the conclusion that he really didn’t have any aside from ‘yes’, so it came as no surprise when he finally said, “Sure.”

“Alright!” Tooru exclaimed, more to himself, and got up from the bed, trying to find the right angle. The sunlight was falling into the room through a big window on their left, so there weren’t any problems with lighting, but who knew. He didn’t consider himself a big photographer or anything, but he liked his contact photos as pretty as possible, though he had the distinct feeling that ‘not pretty’ wasn’t even an option with Akaashi. He should try that out. Or maybe the other boy was beautiful in real life, but surprisingly unphotogenic? That seemed fair.

The subtle side glances he got from Akaashi betrayed that Tooru had probably destroyed all his previous focus on the research or what it was. It was obvious he was trying to get back into it, but his typing had slowed down, too. A quick look at the laptop screen displayed a Word document full of notes, some in long paragraphs, some just individual words. When exactly had Akaashi started again? Half an hour ago? Maybe a little longer. Either way, that was actually really impressive.

He threw his arms over Akaashi’s shoulders from behind the desk chair, leaning onto him to take a closer look. Surprisingly, not all of it was about the recent incident – or incidents, rather –, but there was also a good chunk of information about the Erasing Unity there, without a special focus, or so it seemed. Tooru knew there were quite a few people out there who didn’t trust the Unity and he couldn’t blame them, it wasn’t like he was a mindless follower just because it had been the only way to get a weapon. The organization surely had its secrets and some insisted they were pulling the strings behind some more disturbing events, yet nothing had ever been proven, which made it even more suspicious in itself. But what could a handful of people who actually dared to speak up do against the organization that was handling everything Demon-related?

There used to be other huge companies, but they had either shrank considerably by now or even been closed. When he thought about it, it did seem kind of dystopian. The Unity was no totalitarian government, but it was still growing after all this time, so who knew what would happen in the future?

“Uh …”

“What has the Unity to do with anything?” Tooru raised an eyebrow. “I mean, the Unity has to do with everything, I suppose, but why now?”

It took Akaashi a while to say anything in return. When he did, it was, “Why are you … You have heard about the concept of personal space, right?”

Tooru blinked, kind of at a loss for a second before he realized his position. He’d done it without even noticing, or thinking about it, for that matter. He had always been a physically affectionate person, with just about everyone he deemed worthy of his attention, and so far few had complained. If he recalled correctly, Akaashi had been fine with Tooru’s arm over his shoulders yesterday, but he still felt kind of bad.

He got off him and cleared his throat. “Sorry, reflex.”

“It’s fine,” Akaashi said, “but you should probably work on that.”

Okay, he was still not despised, which was nice. This was his only place to stay after all, and he _did_ like the Slayer. When Tooru had said that they were friends, he supposed he had meant it. “So, what about it? The Unity, I mean.”

The boy frowned at the screen and sighed. “There’s a few things that don’t add up, but long story short, there’s someone I know who’s been investigating the Unity for a while now and he’s suspecting they might have something to do with our case. He said he’d send me the information later today, but for now I’m trying to gather everything and figure out if there’s something wrong. Which is really not much, because the more I research it, the more I get the feeling we know only a very small fraction of what the Unity really is … Which means they have a lot of things to hide.”

“So, it’s like a conspiracy theory that actually makes sense and that you guys want to get behind,” Tooru concluded and Akaashi nodded. “Do I know the guy?”

“I’m not sure what I can tell you. It’s not like I have much to do with it, but his group is apparently onto something and I doubt they want a lot of attention.”

So it was pretty likely Tooru did know him, or else Akaashi would have just said ‘no’. He wondered who it was – someone he knew that had contacts to Fukurodani … It could be anyone at Karasuno, really, but that already narrowed it down quite a bit. Was Sugawara part of this? Or his entire team, perhaps?

Whoever it was, actively working against the Unity like this seemed like an impossible feat for high school students, or anyone, really. What kind of motivation would they have to actually put this much effort into it? A personal grudge was the most likely. That could actually fit Sugawara very well, as it surely hadn’t been easy to allow him to live the human lifestyle. On the other hand, his team was actually registered at the Unity, though that could have also been a ‘destroying it from within’ sort of thing or simply something they had done to avoid suspicion.

But Sugawara, for all his quirks, didn’t seem like the kind of person to pull something like this. He didn’t know the other Karasuno players well enough to judge them, except Tobio (and no way, that would mean Tobio was actually being productive on the Demon department, which was something he could not see happening in a hundred years) and maybe Sawamura … The latter seemed like someone who didn’t want to get himself and others in trouble, so no, not Sawamura.

“I can practically see you thinking.” Akaashi had turned around to face Tooru, something on his face that might have resembled the beginnings of a smile, but maybe it was just his imagination. “But you won’t figure it out. Even if you do, I won’t tell you whether you’re right, so it’s …”

He was interrupted by the sound of his phone vibrating next to his laptop. The photo showing up on the screen was that of a boy Tooru had never seen before, the name reading ‘Kozume Kenma’.

“Why would Kozume call me?” Akaashi murmured, visibly confused, before picking up.

In the following minute, Tooru saw his face twist from confusion to shock to acceptance to alert back to confusion to settle at a strange mix between determination and exasperation, if he had to guess. He hadn’t thought Akaashi capable of such a variety of emotions displayed on his face, so it was probably something bad.

“Alright, thank you, I’ll be there as soon as possible,” Akaashi said before hanging up. He closed his laptop a little more violently than strictly necessary and gave Tooru a grim look. “You stay here. Bokuto-san got himself in trouble again and I need to get him out. It shouldn’t take too long.”

There were a lot of things Tooru wanted to say right now, ranging from ‘No, I’m coming with you’ over ‘Do you really think Satsuki will let you out?’ to ‘Okay, I’m just going to trust you’, but before he could voice any of them, Akaashi was already out the door, his hurried footsteps the only reminder he was still here.

 

* * *

 

Tetsurou was on his knees, gravity weighing down on him, pushing him onto the asphalt.

The public gym’s parking lot, empty safe for the two boys and the Devil, seemed like a really uncool place to die at. Koutarou had always said that if he went down in battle, he’d want it to be at some sort of ancient castle or in the middle of central Tokyo, like in the movies. But in the movies, the hero never died, either. It was always one of the sidekicks or the old mentor, maybe a bad guy turned good, sacrificing himself for the right cause.

Koutarou was none of those, so if this had been a movie, there would have been no chance for him to die.

Koutarou was the hero.

So why?

The Devil resembled a chimera, each head a different animal, its body roughly the size of a truck, pieced together from gazelles and lions and something that had spikes on three of its six shoulder blades. It had the nasty ability to clone itself and increase the gravity on people, forcing Tetsurou to stay on the ground no matter how much he tried to get up. His Ability was useless; the jacket that used to be Koutarou’s that he was wearing, his Artefact, was supposed to create energy shields around itself that he could widen and shrink to his liking, but for some reason it had stopped working from the moment Koutarou had entered the state he was in.

He was holding his own against the two enemies, energy radiating off him in deadly waves, lights flashing, the air around him not just blurred, but _trembling_ , and the wooden owl’s eyes stabbing through in a myriad of colours.

He had seen Koutarou go on a power-high before, but it had never been like this.

He had never been alone.

And _oh god he could lose him and he wouldn’t be able to do a thing_.

Just kneel there and watch, listen to the cries of both agony and ecstasy echoing over the empty, empty place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to stop updating around 1AM there's probably some really stupid mistakes in here
> 
> also HAPPY BIRTHDAY IWA-CHAN (well, not here anymore but somewhere!)


	7. Troppo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **_Troppo_ is found in tempo indications, warning a player not to overdo an effect, as in allegro ma non troppo ‘fast but not too much’.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is such a mess but it kinda fits the general atmosphere so I can forgive myself for it ... can you tell action is not my strong suit I probably shouldn't write a fic where fighting things is a core part of the story
> 
> I was stuck on the middle part for quite some time, but I'm still pretty proud of my rather balanced updating schedule so far, lol. even though this chapter isn't as long (she says at 4k5 words) ... which is probably a good thing. it's getting more and more out of hand.
> 
> I would've ended this on a cliffhanger again but I'm not THAT evil, besides I wanted to finally throw the Kaokono in there. Kaokono is a good ship. please appreciate Kaokono

Fire rushing through his veins, burning him from inside out, each second a new challenge to himself. _How much further can you go?_ , it seemed to shout, and he answered, “Forever,” because there was no end to this, because he had never felt better, because he was          
_invincible_  
and he was ethereal, a flame risen from hell to burn down everything and the ashes, until nothing was standing anymore, not even himself    
and death seemed liked it was calling him, reaching out its hands, clawing into his flesh and tearing him apart

and he said, “Bring it on.”

 

* * *

 

Fifteen minutes by train.

Keiji remembered Kozume’s words as if it had been seconds ago that they had talked.

“Kuro was going to drag me to fight some Devil … I didn’t go, but I think you should know that he’s probably asked Bokuto-san by now. I don’t know about your team, but ours definitely isn’t assembled … I’m having a bad feeling about this.”

If Kozume had a bad feeling about anything, it was most likely for a reason. The small, antisocial Encrypt was perceptive enough as it was, but his Ability seemed to amplify it even further. What worried Keiji the most, however, was that Kozume had called him in the first place.

Kozume never called, only texted. He said he didn’t like not seeing who he was talking to when he didn’t have more time to reply than usual.

Which meant that despite his usual soft, cold tone of voice, he must have been terrified, and it was rubbing off on Keiji.

He tapped his foot on the train floor impatiently, hands playing with the key around his neck. Fifteen minutes by train until the location Kozume had given him. Fifteen long minutes, and each second felt like an eternity.

 _Bokuto-san isn’t alone_ , he told himself. _Kuroo-san is with him, and maybe some others, too. He won’t do anything reckless … Well, scratch that, he probably will, but he’ll be stopped before it can get dangerous._

Kuroo was a responsible person, for all it was worth. Taking Bokuto out to fight a Devil on their own kind of spoke against that, but there was no doubt he had at least thought all possible consequences through and prepared for any worst case in advance. If they really were alone, an Encrypt and a Guard, most people probably would have said that they didn’t stand a chance, but Keiji had seen Bokuto fight better than some Slayers. His Ability wasn’t made for combat, but with his sheer energy, the same one that blurred his edges because it couldn’t be contained, he had always made up for it. And Kuroo had saved their butts several times with his Guard powers. Depending on what kind of Devil it was, they might even win without a lot of problems.

But then why?

Why did he feel so uneasy?

The look his mother had given him when he had told her he needed to go had spoken volumes. She hadn’t tried to hold him back, knowing that whatever was happening, things might spiral out of control without him. Satsuki wasn’t half as perceptive as Kozume, but she, too, had the strange ability to judge the severity of a situation she heard about, especially in the supernatural department, at a moment’s notice.

Thinking back to that didn’t help him at all.

Four more minutes to go and Keiji tried to regulate his breathing, slow down his heart rate, with little success. Panicking wouldn’t get him anywhere, and he found himself cursing his humanity at times like these. What was even expecting him? His friends injured or … He didn’t want to consider it, but them dying was a definite possibility.

He couldn’t be too late.

_Damn it, train, go faster._

Back at home, he had left Oikawa confused and probably slightly angry, but Keiji’s problems didn’t concern the other setter, and he definitely didn’t want to put him in danger. He didn’t think he’d forgive himself if anything happened to him because of him. Oikawa was only here because of a stupid coincidence and Keiji would damn well make sure he’d get back home without any major injuries or emotional trauma.

Even so, he found he could have really used him around right now. Oikawa’s presence had been distracting, blissfully so, no matter how much he had cursed him before. In all honesty, Keiji would have probably taken the incident at the hill a lot worse had he been left alone with his thoughts yesterday, back when realization had been kicking in. On top of that, the other wasn’t a bad person to spend time with. His attitude kind of reminded him of Shirofuku, with just a little more affection and playful teasing. Really, if Keiji thought about it, in terms of people to meet on the street and take home, if out of necessity, it could have hit him a lot worse.

A soft ‘ding’ echoed through the mostly empty train car and a mechanic voice announced the next stop. From then on, the place that Kozume had described, a large furniture store’s parking lot, was about two walking minutes away.

Keiji gripped the key harder to stop himself from shaking before standing up from his seat.

 

* * *

 

Tooru was staring out of the kitchen window when Satsuki said, “I hate to ask this of you.”

Dark clouds were gathering at the sky, there was probably already a downpour happening someplace else, and the distant sound of thunder seemed to agree with him. Keiji was out there somewhere, and he didn’t know his way around here, but that might have been in his direction.

Of course Satsuki was worried. Any half decent parent would be. This entire ordeal seemed to shout something akin to ‘stay home’, but she had let him go without a word.

“I’ll go,” he said without looking at her.

 

* * *

 

It was raining.

Cold, thick drops of water soaked his hair and his clothes, and it was getting worse by the second, but Keiji kept going straight ahead. Maybe it was his imagination, but he thought he could see a display of colourful lights not too far off, dulled by the air, but still noticeable.

He cursed his Artefact for being a violin of all things. Using it with this sheer amount of water pouring from the sky would definitely take a toll on it.

Still, he held it close to him, already out of its case because there was no thing stupider than to waste time with getting it out while said time could be what he needed to save his best friend’s life. He had made that mistake once, and his former upperclassman, now graduated, had never quite recovered from the wounds he had acquired while Keiji had fumbled with the violin case.

Never again.

The first thing he heard was the shriek of not one, but two Devils.

Simultaneously.

_Oh no._

Two huge creatures, entirely identical, but mirrored in their movements, were circling a blindingly bright light, attacking it but failing to do any damage, only to be repelled and apparently hurt by the energy radiating off their prey. In any other case, Keiji would have been relieved, but _there is no Slayer here_ , he thought, and _that means someone else is hurting them_ , and the only power strong enough to fight two Devils was—

He didn’t think.

Just ran close enough to do damage and started drawing the bow over his violin’s strings with a shaking hand.

Neither of the Devils responded, drawn to the other like moths to a flame. “Akaashi!” he heard someone shout, and when he followed the call he saw Kuroo crouching on the ground, drops of water soaking his clothes, his hair, dripping down his face.

Crap. Crap, crap, crap.

“I’ll handle this,” he replied, but he needed to get closer; usually the light from his Artefact drew Demons in, but they were still fixated on what he presumed was Bokuto. He couldn’t really tell, as it was hard to even look at him …

This was bad.

Even if he managed to fight off the Devils, he still needed someone to seal them, which wasn’t possible with their only Encrypt burning out, and the problem didn’t seem to be whether they’d kill him but rather he’d _kill himself_ , and for the first time in a while he wished for Suzumeda to be here. She knew what to do when it got really bad. Usually he managed to calm Bokuto or Konoha down by attacking them, nothing that would permanently hurt them but enough to make them lose consciousness, but this was the worst case he had seen in a long time. With the amount of energy he’d have to use he’d either hurt Bokuto … Or lose control himself.

He felt like Kuroo looked, completely and utterly _powerless_.

But no way in hell would he just let his best friend die like this.

Keiji hurried over to Kuroo and threw his phone into the other’s hands. “The code is 4825, call a Healer and an Encrypt, in that order. I’ll try and fight those things off before he can get worse, and then it’s all a matter of time. We’ll set this right.”

Without another word he got closer to the Devils, their spike-ridden tails swaying around. If he came too close he would get injured, which he couldn’t afford, but thankfully his Artefact was long-range, so he might stand a chance. Both of the monsters seemed to have settled on taking a slower, more careful approach than just lunging in just to get hurt again, but that didn’t stop Bokuto from lashing out even further, his light so bright Keiji had to be careful to not get hit himself.

He had to be on the verge of breaking.

If Kuroo’s stance was any indication, the Devils could do something to people’s bodies, which he had to worry about too; if he ended up on the ground like Bokuto’s boyfriend, they were completely done for. The effect would most likely only fade once they were sealed, which could be never if things didn’t work out.

Once he found a position he knew he would be able to attack from – facing toward Bokuto, but avoiding to look at him directly, he drew his bow the violin again.

Another try.

The first note he played wavered, its light dim and cool.

Then, more steadily, the next one.

He wasn’t sure which song it was he was playing, its sound almost entirely drawn out by the pouring rain, the too familiar sounds from Bokuto, and the first new pained shrieks of the devil.

He wanted to believe it was an original piece, one he’d look back again once he would have written it down and say, ‘This is what saved us.’

The Devils broke their mirrored dance to draw both their heads towards him, eyes glowing amber and weighing down on him like a burden he couldn’t possibly bear, but they didn’t attack, visibly confused by the two humans attacking them.

If this had been any other situation, Keiji might have said they made a good team.

His knees trembled but he didn’t stop playing, not when he felt like his legs would break if he kept standing, not when one of the Devils dissolved into nothing in front of his eyes and the other lunged at him.

Not when it was hit from the side, the impact pushing it to the ground.

A dull, loud _thwump_ resonated through the air as its massive body hit the wet asphalt and Keiji was dumfounded for a moment.

What had just happened? Had Kuroo managed to call someone who was close by? Through Bokuto’s blinding light and the heavy rain he still couldn’t make out who exactly it was, the body to his right a dim silhouette, tall and distinctly male, with a weapon in his hands … A weapon that shimmered golden even through the gloom, shaped like the links of a chain.

_No._

Oh god, no. Not him, too.

“What are you doing?” he shouted out as the other came into vision, brown hair hanging down, Aoba Johsai uniform soaked, but otherwise unharmed.

“Saving your life, apparently,” Oikawa said.

 

* * *

 

An intruder;

someone had disturbed his battle, which was unforgivable in itself, but most importantly it threw his senses off   
as he _lived_ for the fight, each of his muscles moving on its own while his eyes only saw this beautiful space of nothing and everything but didn’t need any more but the reassurance that it was alright       
that he was able to fight every force standing against him no matter what          
so give it back       
give it back            
give it _back  
with force if I need to._

 

* * *

 

_Oikawa Shiida had long chestnut hair falling down in smooth waves. Her brown eyes were always sparkling with curiosity or amusement behind thick-rimmed black glasses and her Artefact, a plain black hairband, sat proudly like a crown upon her head. It was easy to see why people admired her, and Tooru was the same, all awestruck and gaping whenever he saw her do anything out of the ordinary._

_“The key is to make it look easy,” she told him shortly before she would move to Tokyo for her new job at the Unity. “Even when I’m in pain and near death, I want people to think, ‘Look at her! How does she do that? She’s winning so effortlessly!’” Shiida chuckled and adjusted the collar of her white blouse. “I don’t think I would’ve gotten this far had I always been honest with them. Or myself, for that matter.”_

_Tooru, eight years old at that point, quickly wrote that down into the notebook he had made for all of her advice before looking up at her again. In his eyes, she was light, warm and kind and always there for him, but playful, too. “I’ll be like you when I grow up,” he said, and her eyes flashed with something he couldn’t name._

In hindsight, that might have been sadness.

The creature looming in front of him heaved itself on its feet again, crimson eyes sparkling as if it was about to eat him alive. At least it was quiet now – he had had worse problems with Demons’ noises, but this one’s hurt, too, and he wouldn’t be able to properly fight while feeling like he was about to throw up.

The spikes decorating its body seemed to rip through the air and just now did he notice the tail, large and reminiscent of a morning star, if morning stars were dripping with most likely poisonous green fluid, that was. In that regard, he was thankful for the rain.

At least its clone had disappeared or this would be an even worse time. Tooru was hyperaware of the boy burning out way too close for his liking, and of the small amount of time he had before things got really serious now that the Devil had seen him. Maybe it would have been better to observe, but like hell would he have let it get to Akaashi. It hadn’t been an option.

His knuckles turned white from gripping his chain too hard and he instinctively blew his hair out of his face, with little effect thanks to the rain, whispering to himself, “The key is to make it look easy.”

Tooru and the Devil jumped at the same time.

 

* * *

 

Seeing Oikawa fight was a sight to behold.

He hadn’t exaggerated when he had said he could hold his own against a Demon, a Devil even, no matter if he had an Ability or not. His chain seemed to be enchanted to stretch out forever and with more force, it’s impact functioning similarly to a Slayer’s attacks, which Keiji was really thankful for, especially when he drew his bow over the strings to provide support and nothing happened.

Wonderful.

He didn’t like admitting it, but he felt much safer now that the Devil’s … Clone? Had disappeared. Oikawa managing to fight it like this – all smooth movements, every action seemingly planned and carefully executed, like you’d expect from him on the court – set him at ease in that regard. Keiji had _severely_ underestimated him. Just how much experience did he have? He probably wasn’t even allowed to fight third classes yet, and still … 

Most importantly though, all of it meant he could focus on Bokuto like he needed to.

If the Encrypt had been all fierce attacks before, now he was dreadful silence, still coated in vibrating, too bright light, but uncharacteristically calm. In fact, he wasn’t moving. At all.

Just stood there as if all his control had been taken away from him.

Keiji needed to get closer, but without his Ability he was at a loss. The rain must have damaged the strings somehow, and like everyone bound to an Artefact, it malfunctioning caused his entire power to be inaccessible. He’d faced something similar before, but he hadn’t been alone, had only needed to restrain Konoha, in the case from back then, until Suzumeda had gotten a hold on him. He couldn’t even look directly at Bokuto right now, let alone go near him …

He didn’t know where Kuroo was, but judging from him not being here to help yet, he was probably still stuck.

Oikawa landed next to him, the Devil up but clearly at a disadvantage, and once again Keiji couldn’t help but stare for a moment. This was the same Demon that had almost forced him to his knees, and Oikawa was no user, so it must be even worse on him. Still he remained standing, running and jumping and fighting even, and _winning_ at that, all while the rain beat down on them mercilessly.

Keiji felt the touch of a hand on his wrist, only for a split second, and Oikawa said, “Don’t worry, I’ll buy you time.”

And somehow that was the most reassuring thing he had heard in a while.

At least until Bokuto started moving.

A flash of light bolted towards the both of them in less than a split second and Keiji’s violin crashed to the ground as he followed suit, the impact knocking the air out of him. He squeezed his eyes shut – _do not look at him whatever you do do not look at him directly_ –, biting his lip to keep from crying out as it _burned_ , his upper arms seemingly catching on fire as Bokuto’s nails were digging into them, and he might have imagined it but he heard someone shout “ _fuck_ ” before the weight on him disappeared

only to be replaced by something way worse.

Keiji dared to open his eyes to meet those of the Devil as it opened its mouth, slowly, as if it had all the time of the world.

In his peripheral vision a light flickered on and off.

He wasn’t sure, but he felt like his arms were bleeding.

Another boy was groaning in agony close to him.

From afar, he heard someone shout a name.

 _Oikawa-san_ , Keiji thought.

He had been winning this fight.

Why was the Devil here?

He closed his eyes and breathed out as far as he could as he felt the numbness settle in.

_“Don’t fall asleep,” she said, pleading, with tears welling up in her eyes._

 

* * *

 

An unknown force surrounded him.

No, not unknown, he had felt this before, many times.

Then a scream, inhuman and pained, tugging at his brain, his heart, his soul.

Then silence.

 

* * *

 

She gripped him firmly by the wrist, nails digging into his skin, desperately holding on so his constant shaking and twitching wouldn’t keep her from doing her job. Getting to the right body parts was hard like this, but it wasn’t like she hadn’t done it before.

Konoha hurried toward them and pressed Bokuto to the ground, earning a thankful smile from Kaori before she got to work.

The power circulating inside and around him prickled on her skin, an annoying, but harmless sensation she had felt countless times before. Her upperclassman had a special talent for getting himself into trouble like this, apparently, and she was the one usually responsible for setting things right after Akaashi got him out of them, while Konoha …

Konoha was kind of a double-edged sword. Sometimes he’d be of assistance like right now, but like Bokuto, he seemed prone to overheating once he got into the mood.

What a pair of problem children.

Bokuto had stilled down, which was a good sign. If he managed to lose consciousness, he would be out of the danger zone; it was impossible to faint while the energy was still overflowing through one’s body, and while the mental fatigue felt like too much to bear for some people, the body itself was never more active than during those times. Kaori’s Abilty, thankfully, specialized on calming the mind and inner body functions, but even without her there would have been ways to save him, albeit much riskier ones.

By now she knew which places to press and release power into by heart. It had been different for everyone she had healed so far, but Bokuto was such a common case she could have done it in her sleep. The shoulder blades first, then the nape of the neck …

Warmth surrounded her, Bokuto’s shape flickering and buzzing as the energy was released, slowly but steadily. If she had been a weaker person, she might have never even tried this, as there were risks; if she didn’t control it well enough, he could get permanently hurt. Her powers were not made for relieving power-highs, but then again, she doubted an Ability specifically to correct them even existed.

Kaori took her hands away when she heard a soft snore.

Taking a deep breath of relief, she threw her head back, the raindrops softly pouring on her face. Her tights were ruined now, soaked full of dirty, bloody water, but Bokuto was safe and alive and nobody had died today, so she didn’t mind.

“Idiot,” Konoha muttered, sinking to the ground next to her. “Both of them, actually.”

She nodded and let her head drop onto his shoulder, closing her eyes for a moment. Healing wasn’t nearly as taxing as, say, sealing a Devil, but the sheer mental pressure that came with it could get the better of her sometimes. On top of that, she was still slightly out of breath from running here in the first place. Healers didn’t possess the same physical benefits that came with other Abilities, although they were generally much more robust and basically never burned out, they couldn’t keep up with the running speed of others. It was in many ways a miracle she had made it here a mere minute later than Konoha and Nekoma’s team, Catastrophe Regulation, minus Kuroo but plus Taketora’s sister.

Why was it the first year who had to do all this? Others from her class went to cram school or choir in their free time, and here she was. Dying with 15 didn’t seem very desirable, but with OWL, there was always a chance.

“Where’s Akaashi-san?” she said after a while, still not opening her eyes. She knew she had to thank him for this, once again, but she hadn’t been able to pay that much attention while saving her upperclassman from bursting into shreds due to his own power overheating. Also she doubted he was conscious right now, and as a good teammate she should have probably looked after him in this very moment, but it wasn’t like she was the only Healer around.

Konoha shifted next to her, trying to lean forward but not too much, which was something Kaori greatly appreciated. “Tora and Akane are taking care of him and New Guy. No idea if you saw him, but he has a weapon, so he’s probably not a user. And Kuroo’s still over there trying to stand up … Should we help him?”

“No,” Kaori said after a moment of consideration. “He’s the one who got us into this mess, if he has to test how gravity works again, he can do it without us.”

“I like the way you think.”

Kozume would probably come to his rescue sooner or later, so it didn’t really matter. For now she was grateful for this moment of peace after hurrying here, and not a minute too late. Bokuto in particular wouldn’t have made it had she taken her time.

“Wanna quit?” Konoha asked, and Kaori wasn’t sure whether he was being serious or not, but her answer would have remained the same no matter what.

“No way. You’d all be dead without me.”

 

* * *

 

When Keiji opened his eyes, his arms were bandaged, his legs felt sore and he was surrounded in soft blankets.

Blinking against the light streaming from the window, he tried to sit up and failed, falling back into the pillow. It didn’t particularly hurt, but he could vaguely feel himself shaking, as if it should.

Where was he?

It seemed like a hospital’s room at first glance, but friendlier, smaller, and with less technology hanging around. He saw his violin case leaning against the grass green wall and breathed a sigh of relief. Someone was sleeping in the bed on his right, turned away from him so he could only see brown hair and a figure wrapped in a thick white blanket like his own.

… Oikawa?

But why would he be in a hospital, with Oikawa, clearly injured as if he had—

The Devil.

The fight.

Bokuto going on a power-high, attacking him, and _that’s right, Oikawa-san saved me from the Demon and then defeated it_ , or had he?

His head was throbbing as he was trying to remember the details, bit by bit. How had he survived? Try as he might, the last thing he remembered was … Passing out, certain of his approaching death?

Somebody must have come to save him. Had it been Oikawa, too? But if they were here that meant the Devil had most likely been sealed, which he couldn’t have done. Had Bokuto somehow managed to get off his high? Had he used his actual Ability while still _on_ it?

Oh god, was Bokuto even _alive_?

This couldn’t be happening. He had been through more than a couple of rough fights, but it had never ended up like this. This had all just happened because … Bokuto and Kuroo had tried to go on their own, right. And he had followed them, after receiving a call from Kozume.

Kozume … Maybe there had been others the second-year had called, too. It made sense. Maybe the rest of his team, or maybe the rest of OWL, maybe someone else entirely. Yes, that must have been it, or else he wouldn’t have been here.

Or … Right, he had given Kuroo his phone to call someone.

It made sense. It made _sense_ for everyone being alive, for someone else to have come and saved them, or else he’d probably be dead. So they certainly had saved Bokuto too, and Kuroo, and, obviously, Oikawa.

Why had Oikawa even _been_ there?

Keiji groaned at his headache worsening. Too many questions. Too many things to consider.

Sleep seemed much more welcoming.

He drifted back into nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tl;dr: everybody gets completely fucked over by this devil and / or Bokuto. nobody is safe. I almost killed off Kuroo but decided against it because dude. no. no way. I'm too weak for that. OR AM I


	8. Grave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **_Grave_ (Italian: slow, solemn) is used as an indication of tempo and mood, meaning slow and serious.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what is this, a chatfic
> 
> can you tell I'm having fun writing this fic, even if this chapter is pretty much entirely dialogue? this is the farthest I've ever gotten with ... anything, really, and I'm STILL pretty fast at updating. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME
> 
> if I ever write a fic without at least one aromantic character, please punch me. (though as an aro person myself, it's highly unlikely you'll ever have to. love me some representation.)
> 
> Ushiwaka/Yukie friendship gives me life and I'm very happy I thought of it tbh

**_@Shirofuku Yukie_ ** **_,_ ** **_Oct. 25 th_ **

_**12:11 PM.** so long story short, the teams I support are made of idiots, but they’re brave, so I give them that._   
_**12:11 PM.** I’ll give Bo a lecture once he’s awake again, but he’ll probably be out for a while._   
_**12:11 PM.** you know how it is …_

_**12:13 PM.** Actually, I have never witnessed a live power-high, so I really do not know how it is._

_**12:13 PM.** you’ve been doing this for how many years now?_

_**12:14 PM.** Five years, officially._

_**12:14 PM.** damn. _   
_**12:14 PM.** Ushiwaka, I’m sure people have told you this before, but …_   
_**12:15 PM.** you are a very lucky person._

_**12:17 PM.** So I have heard, yes. At least Tendou said it when we I told him about what happened at Aoba Johsai. He said I always manage to be on time to save the day._

_**12:17 PM.** that’s a talent you need to savour, my friend._   
_**12:18 PM.** we could’ve definitely used you here today._   
_**12:18 PM.** but well …_   
_**12:18 PM.** I guess not even you can come over fast enough._

_**12:19 PM.** It would take about half an hour by plane, but I do not own a plane._

_**12:19 PM.** so I figured._   
_**12:19 PM.** anyway, make sure you stay safe over there!_   
_**12:19 PM.** a lot of things have happened lately._   
_**12:20 PM.** there still haven’t been official news about the disappearances, so they’re definitely trying to cover something up._   
_**12:20 PM.** and failing._   
_**12:20 PM.** miserably._   
_**12:20 PM.** everyone’s talking about it._   
_**12:21 PM.** but who knows what else whatever did it can do …_   
_**12:21 PM.** for all we know, it could be in Miyagi right now._   
_**12:21 PM.** take care, please, and tell that to the others too._

_**12:24 PM.** Of course. But if we are in a situation where we need to fight, we will do our best to keep each other and first and foremost everyone else who might accidentally get involved with it safe. I cannot promise nothing will happen, as that is never certain._

_**12:24 PM.** I can’t believe there are people who don’t like you, Ushiwaka._   
_**12:25 PM.** got to go now though, need to check up on the others._   
_**12:25 PM.** I’ll text you once I’ve got anything new, bye!_

Yukie sat up from the soft brown couch and put her phone into her school bag before walking over to the counter. The seemingly ancient woman, white hair pulled up in a tight bun and fragile looking glasses sitting before her golden eyes, was no stranger to her. After all, she had been here a lot ever since getting involved with OWL.

“Can I see my team?” she asked, a question that felt a little robotic after asking it so many times, and as usual, Yamamoto Setsuna simply nodded.

The Yamamoto family was renowned for its healers and had turned their Abilities into their life. This place wasn’t necessarily a hospital, Yukie rather considered it a resting place for those who needed it after having already been treated. Personally, she had never been unfortunate enough to end up here, as she wasn’t technically part of a Demon-hunting team and acted more as their personal secretary, but she did know her way around here quite well.

When she had arrived, the first thing she had done was drop on the sofa and start texting Ushijima Wakatoshi the details she had gathered from yet another text conversation with Kaori. Some details had probably been lost, but she got the gist of it – her team and that of Nekoma were made of idiots. Well, not entirely, though. She’d have to thank the rest of them for stepping in.

She could have stepped into the elevator and pushed the button to the second floor with her eyes closed by now, but something was still slightly different. Aside from the fact that someone not even from Tokyo had been involved – and, if Ushijima’s texts were any indication, someone Shiratorizawa’s ace might even know –, which was unusual but not completely surreal in a time like this, what troubled her the most was the fact that one of the people she’d find up there, probably sleeping, was Akaashi.

He’d had his fair share of dangerous experiences, but it had never been bad enough to end up here. Maybe things were starting to get out of hand after all if the person she considered the sanest out of the bunch was the one who had to be rescued.

But in the end, she could probably blame Kuroo, like so many times before. It wasn’t that he was stupid, not in the slightest, he just seemed to have a tendency to get himself into trouble and Bokuto, loving boyfriend that he was, usually followed suit. It had only been a matter of time until Akaashi’s lucky streak of not _quite_ almost dying wore out, she told herself and was probably right.

“Happens to the best of us, huh?” Yukie murmured to herself when the elevator’s metal doors opened and she started walking down the hallway.

She hadn’t even had to ask Yamamoto where her friends were currently resting, as they had been here often enough to pretty much have assigned rooms, which said enough about how stupid of an idea it was for them to fight, if she thought about it.

But who was she to stop them … She wasn’t even gifted like them. Sometimes she wished she was, but seeing the amount of danger they had gotten themselves in once again, she was content with aiding them from the side lines if possible.

Yukie stopped before room 303 and didn’t bother knocking before turning the doorknob and walking in.

 

* * *

 

Shouyou’s first thought when a tall girl in a red, gold, and black uniform straight out of a shoujo manga walked through the gate of Karasuno high school was, _She looks familiar._

About two seconds after she had passed by him, not sparing any of the students gaping at her a second glance and disappearing into the main building, it hit him.

“Kageyama!”

Yes, there was no mistaking. The same thin eyebrows above the same narrowed dark blue eyes in what could only be described as a pissed off looking expression, the same black hair, but cut to slightly above chin length, and most importantly the same menacing aura around her, as if she wanted to say, “Don’t talk to me and let me do my job, dumbass.”

Now, if this had been any other situation, he would have ran up to Kageyama, shaking him, and shouting, “It’s your doppelgänger!” but Shouyou had no idea where the setter even was. It was lunch break after all, and the last time he had seen him had been when he had stalked off towards what Shouyou had assumed were the snack automats.

As such, he was left wondering if he had just seen some sort of fata morgana. After all it wasn’t possible for the girl version of Kageyama to be wandering around Karasuno like that, right? Even if a girl looking just like him existed, the chances of her being this close were very small, right?

He spent a moment staring at the main door of the building before someone tapping him on the shoulder made him turn around.

“Have you seen a ghost?” Ennoshita said, warm smile resting on his face and sports bag slung over his shoulder as usual.

“Kageyama!” Shouyou practically shouted at his upperclassman. “She’s Kageyama! I’ve seen her! Or … Maybe she’s a Demon who just _pretends_ to look like Kageyama.”

That would actually make sense, although he didn’t know enough about Demons to be completely sure. Despite him wanting to fight them and learn about them, the trivia just didn’t seem to stick. Tsukishima had written it off as, “You just suck at studying, face it.”

To his surprise, Ennoshita shook his head, laughing. “No, I’m pretty sure she’s actually Kageyama, if a different one. Did you know he has a twin sister?”

Shouyou had in fact _not_ known that, how could he not have known that? He had thought Kageyama was his best friend! How could he not have told him that? Did he _want_ him to freak out?

“I wonder what she’s doing here, though,” Ennoshita mused, continuing as if Shouyou wasn’t visibly burning with rage.

“Probably looking for him,” he grumbled.

“Probably … Must be important if she’s coming during school hours.”

Yeah, she had worn a school uniform, right. But if she was Kageyama’s twin sister, that meant she was a first year like him, and those weren’t usually sent for important things. But then again, the uniform had looked pretty prestigious. Made him wonder whether Kageyama would be at her school if it hadn’t been for director Ukai returning.

“Do you know which school she’s from, Ennoshita-san?” he asked, thinking about the uniform. Unlike a classical blazer or sailor style uniform, it had been more … Modern, maybe, with a tie and a black … Short jacket thingie, and he thought he remembered some sort of device dangling from the belt of her red skirt. It hadn’t looked like a phone, but which school just let their students carry something like that through the world? Maybe it was like Shiratorizawa, where the school buildings looked more like hotels. Maybe Kageyama’s sister’s school had horses, too.

Ennoshita said, “No idea, sorry. I’ve never seen her, so no idea if I could get something from her uniform … Give me a little time and I’ll find it out though!”

“I can just ask Kageyama,” Shouyou declined and furrowed his eyebrows. “If he’ll answer me.”

“Are you really mad at him for not telling him about a sister you’ve never asked about? I think I’m the only one who knows, actually.”

At that moment the bell rung and they started strolling towards the building like all the other students outside. “How do you know?”

The other winked at him and mysteriously said, “I know everything.”

About one minute later, it became clear that Ennoshita did actually not know everything.

For example, neither he nor Shouyou had any idea why a girl looking exactly like a female Kageyama had the vice principal pinned against the wall with a huge scythe, the blade glowing golden.

At least nobody else seemed to know any better, not even the all too familiar voice echoing through the hall, all the other students deadly silent.

“ _Tori?!”_

 

* * *

 

The girl entering the room had shoulder-length, deep red hair, wore a white blouse, black jeans, and brown leather boots, and Tooru was positive he had never seen her before, although that didn’t surprise him much around here.

Half of him wondered if she was a friend of Akaashi’s, the other half of him acted on instinct. “Don’t worry, I won’t die yet, so if you’ve come to ask for a date …”

“Spare me, please, I’m a lost cause anyway,” she cut him off, dry as a desert.

He didn’t even blink before asking, “Gay?”

The girl shook her head. “Aromantic. Anyway, you’re the guy Akaashi has to deal with? The one from … Sendai?”

“Close by. Word gets around here fast, huh?”

“Figures, but nothing surprises me anymore. Do you happen to know Ushijima Wakatoshi?”

Now _that_ shut him up for a second. Did Ushiwaka follow him _everywhere_? Was there no safe space left in this world? Now this random girl knew him well enough to bring him up? Or was she just knowledgeable about volleyball?

“Sadly,” he replied, pulling a face.

“What do you mean? He’s a treasure. But that means he was right and the boy from Miyagi was … Oikawa Tooru, he said?” She raised an eyebrow at him and smiled, warm and friendly.

Tooru decided not to question it. His head didn’t hurt right now, and he wasn’t longing to change that. “Oikawa Tooru it is.”

“I’m Shirofuku Yukie, third year manager of Fukurodani’s boys volleyball club. Ushiwaka and I are friends, and he figured Akaashi’s new friend might be you, that’s why I brought it up. Nice to meet you, Oikawa-san.”

“The pleasure’s all mine. Though I would have hoped we could have met under, uh …” He glanced at Akaashi in the bed next to him, sound asleep, a little dried blood still shining in his dark hair as his chest rose and fell under the white blanket. “Happier circumstances.”

Shirofuku sighed and shot the sleeping Akaashi an exasperated smile before dropping onto one of the chairs at the wall across Tooru. “I wish I could say you picked the one wrong time to show up. Stuff like this is usual around here. Well, not like _this_.” She gestured towards Akaashi. “He’s usually the sane one. I can’t believe he of all people had to be saved.”

“Happens to the best of us,” Tooru mused. Somehow, the other boy was still pretty like this, lips slightly parted, expression calm. He looked about as peaceful as Tooru couldn’t feel. His mother would be _furious_. He hadn’t been brave enough to check his phone just yet, but he probably had a lot of missed calls by now, and that was _before_ she would inevitably hear about what had happened. Oikawa Tooru had kept a lot of secrets in his life, but most of them she had figured out. To get his mind off of it and out of genuine curiosity, he asked, “Where are we, actually?”

“The Yamamoto Supernatural Hospital. Basically, they’re all gifted Healers and this is … Not really a hospital, actually, but it comes close. Everyone who’s resting here has already been cared for with their Abilities, as you might have noticed.” She put a finger to her chin and turned her eyes to the ceiling, as if in thought. “They’ve also recently created something called the Yamamoto Established Association of Healers, which I’m sure only exists because someone thought ‘YEAH’ would be a neat acronym. They’ve had a few cases outside the prefecture, actually, so you might have heard of them.”

“The travelling Healer group?” That did ring a bell; you didn’t just forget an acronym like that so easily. If he and Shirofuku were thinking of the same people, they had recently been to Sendai to help out after a big attack at the private school they had destroyed in this year’s Inter High semi-finals.

Shirofuku shrugged. “I don’t know if there’s more of them, but yeah, they’re basically going through the country helping out. They’re not all Yamamotos, though. Actually, very few of the travelling ones are. Most of them are staying here, and the youngest son, Yamamoto Taketora, is one of the guys who rescued you. He’s with Catastrophe Regulation.”

“What kind of name is ‘Catastrophe Regulation’?”

“From all I’ve heard, they wanted to go with ‘CATastrophe Regulation’, but someone vetoed … They’re from Nekoma.” Following the confused look Tooru must have had on his face, she added, “That’s a school we’re good friends with. Like us, CR is made of volleyball club guys, but there’s at least two other groups there as well. Bokuto’s … Our leader’s the boyfriend of their leader, so we’re working together a lot.”

“So I’ve heard.”

There was a moment of awkward silence. Usually, Tooru tried to keep any conversation flowing, but while he didn’t exactly feel tired, there was a slight, unfamiliar fatigue resting in his bones that he really didn’t bother fighting right now. All the topics he could have thought of had already been addressed.

He blew a strand of hair that had fallen into his face away and turned his head to the window. They had probably ended up in the room with the most beautiful view of all; a brick wall. Why would you even put in a window if all you could see from it was a wall? At least there was still light flowing in.

After a moment, Shirofuku said, “I should probably check for Kuroo as long as Akaashi’s still asleep.”

“Kuroo? Bokuto’s boyfriend?” If Tooru remembered correctly. Names could be hard. There was a reason he tended to go with nicknames; once established, he found them harder to forget.

The girl nodded. “I’d usually meet Bokuto first, but he’ll be out for a while … I’d say I give him, hm, ten more hours, regarding the state he was in if Kaori-chan didn’t lie to me.”

Wait a second. How much time had actually passed? What day was it, even? Still the same Wednesday, just a few hours later? Or Thursday already? Heck, had he slept for longer than a day? Tooru didn’t think anything would surprise him anymore, but it sure as hell would have been nice to know just how much time he had lost in his journey to go home. If it could even be called that. Satsuki had said he should stay here for now, but Satsuki had also been the one who had wanted him to follow Akaashi, and …

“It’s Thursday, October 25th,” Shirofuku said matter-of-factly before rising from her chair. “Just in case you’re wondering.”

Damn it.

She stopped before the door and waved and smiled at Tooru before swinging it open. “See you!”

Shirofuku was almost gone when a quiet voice next to him murmured, “Shirofuku…san?”

Tooru flinched at the sudden sound and the girl froze, just to turn around again, close the door, and drop back onto the chair. “Well, that’s convenient. Morning, Akaashi!”

The boy ran a hand through his hair, still half asleep, and looked around the room for a moment.

“Kuroo and Bokuto went off to fight a Devil, got their butts kicked, Bokuto went on a power-high, you tried to fight them, your friend Oikawa here,“ – she gestured towards Tooru –, “stepped in somehow and also got his ass kicked, all four of you almost died before Kaori-chan and Konoha, plus the Nekoma guys, saved you.”

“I know,” Akaashi said, one hand wiping his eyes. “I think.”

That was a good sign, Tooru supposed. He could also remember, so they hadn’t been fucked over _completely_. Amnesia was the last thing he needed right now.

“What about Kuroo-san?” the other boy asked. “When I arrived, the Demon was doing something on him. Increase gravity … I think. He didn’t look too good, and I’m sure he’s blaming himself, too …”

Shirofuku waved him off. “He’ll live. I was actually just about to talk to him, but now that you’re with the living again … Really, this might have been the biggest mess in a while. Though not half as bad as that one time Konoha thought it was a good idea to try and kill a second class with his shields.”

Akaashi groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

“Okay, so,” Shirofuku sing-songed and clapped twice, like someone trying to get the attention of a crowd they were to speak to. For a small moment, it made him feel comically important. “If you remember, then you can surely give me a run-down of what happened before the others came to save your behinds, right? I have time.”

 

* * *

 

“Yukidaka Higashi Academy High School, first year setter, Kageyama Tori.”

“Uh, I don’t think volleyball positions are too important right now,” Koushi said and side-eyed the Kageyama twins avoiding the principal’s stare to his right. He hadn’t thought he’d ever end up in a situation where he’d have to babysit _two_ Kageyamas, but here he was. Daichi had been miraculously absent ever since the incident in the entrance hall about half an hour ago, and he hadn’t just been able to let these two run into their doom on their own. He was a good senpai, damn it.

While Karasuno’s vice principal and his unfortunate wig had provided for lots of laughter among the students, the principal was at parts considered one of the school’s mysteries. Only the absolute worst had ever seen him, and few had lived to tell the tale.

Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. But people still refused to talk about him.

To Koushi, however, he was no stranger. A Demon wanting to attend school like normal humans apparently fell under the category of ‘absolute worst’. Back then he had been friendly and understanding, but now, he was sure that his stare from steel grey eyes, sunken deep into a wrinkled face, could curse hell with unending winter.

“Well then, _Kageyama-san_ ,” he began his a deep, unforgiving voice, and Koushi’s heart would have stopped if he had had one. “Could you explain to me why you attacked the vice principal with a weapon, in the entrance hall, without any known reason?”

Tori cleared her throat, sweating heavily. “Well, first of all, if you need any documents on whether or not I’m allowed to use this scythe, I can provide them. Sir.”

“That wasn’t what I asked though.”

With every word, Koushi could have sworn the temperature in the room dropped by a few degrees. Tori gulped.

“Well. Uhm, the dean … Vice principal wanted to throw me out, but I couldn’t let that happen, and I, uh, panicked. Sir.”

“Why were you here in the first place?” Koushi dared to ask and received a nod from the principal.

“I needed to tell my idiot bro— I needed to tell _Tobio_ that …”

“Couldn’t you just have called me?” Kageyama interrupted and glared at her like a slightly taller mirror image with slightly shorter hair. They honestly looked comically alike. This whole situation would have been hilarious, had it not been for the ticking time bomb that was the principal.

Koushi tried to smile and did some gesture with his hands that was meant to be calming, but he really had no idea what he was doing. “That’s not important now, is it? I-I mean …” He did his best to violently look at the principal from the corner of his eye, but neither twin got his notion of _just keep to the basics, we’re already walking on thin ice_. “What happened happened, right? I’m sure we’ll all come to a satisfying conclusion …”

“So am I.” The principal’s voice made Koushi almost jump in his seat. People had told him his voice was soothing. He had never quite understood it, but he imagined it must feel like the opposite of what was happening to him whenever the principal said so much as a word.

Tori finally managed to look him in the eye and said, surprisingly stable, “I needed to tell Tobio that the Erasing Unity was calling for him, immediately. With each second we’re spending here we’re wasting more time. There is a case they want him on. It’s urgent. … S-sir.”

All three other people in the room were silent and gaping at the girl for a moment. The what? The Unity? Kageyama had never had much to do with the Unity. He hadn’t even wanted to join Team KRSN, despite being a highly talented Two-spirited user.

The boy in question was the first who found his voice again. “I don’t want anything to do with the Unity! How did they even find me?”

“They know everything,” Tori simply said. “Could we go now? Please, sir, it’s really important.”

The principal seemed still dumbfounded, blinking and opening and closing his mouth as if he was trying to say something. Well, that was a first.

Then, after, a moment, “Y-yes. Sure. You’re dismissed. Since you’re not one of our students, there’s nothing much we can do. I will, however, forward this to Yukidaka Higashi’s school management.”

Could he just do that? Could he just let them go on whatever mission, without an official statement?

Apparently.

Kageyama looked less than thrilled as Tori practically shoved him out of the room after they had bowed to the principal, and just like that, they were gone.

 _Just let him play volleyball in peace_ , Koushi thought.

 

* * *

 

“I don’t know if I should be touched or scared,” Oikawa said, staring at his phone screen.

Keiji was still slightly out of it, but at least Shirofuku was gone now that she had all the information needed, including how they had met in the first place, even though he wasn’t sure how that was relevant. He hadn’t missed, however, how Oikawa had waved off some of the more enigmatic details.

Seijoh’s setter was a master at dodging difficult questions, to the point where Keiji hadn’t even remembered he had never gotten an answer until the conversation had been over, and now he didn’t quite find it in himself to care. They were alive. That was what mattered.

Although Oikawa didn’t look like he’d make it much longer, judging from his face.

Keiji gave him a half-hearted, “Hm?”

Instead of an answer, he had a phone thrown at him from the other bed (“Don’t you dare walk around yet, you two!” Shirofuku’s voice rang through his head) that landed softly on the blanket covering him, even in the right direction. Perfect aim. Though he should have expected that from such a well-renowned setter.

 **_@Iwa-chan!!_** ** _,_ ** **_Oct. 25 th_ **

_**1:23 PM.** you haven’t texted the group chat in a day_   
_**1:24 PM.** don’t even bother telling me you’re okay._   
_**1:28 PM.** oikawa?_   
_**1:31 PM.** is your phone out of battery again?_   
_**1:40 PM.** even matsuhana look concerned_   
_**1:41 PM.** i think kindaichi’s gonna have a heart attack_   
_**1:43 PM.** point is we’re all really worried_   
_**1:44 PM.** listen i didn’t mean to spam you with texts you do you_   
_**1:44 PM.** but i know you_   
_**1:45 PM.** and the you i know is the same you that somehow managed to be teleported to fucking tokyo_   
_**1:47 PM.** i know you got into trouble_   
_**1:47 PM.** I just want to know if it’s the kind of trouble that kills_   
_**1:50 PM.** fuck i’m probably gonna delete all this anyway_   
_**1:51 PM.** but if you’re dead i swear to god i will kill you_   
_**1:53 PM.** btw i’m also gonna kill you if you turn out fine and give me any of that iwa-chan crap_   
_**1:54 PM.** so you’re dead no matter what_   
_**1:55 PM.** but i’m the only one who’s allowed to kill you ffs_

Keiji blinked. “Is … Is this your best friend, the ace you told me about?”

“Yup.”

He seemed to care about Oikawa a lot. In some way it put Keiji at ease, knowing that his … Friend had others around who looked out for him. It shouldn’t have surprised him, and it didn’t, but it was nice to have the reassurance.

“I guess that’s what they call tough love,” he murmured. “Do you have to call anyone?”

The look he received was one of pure pain. “My mother. Twenty missed calls. I fucked up.”

The only thing Keiji could do at that was nod. He had fucked up. Immensely. Under his breath, he whispered “rest in pieces” as he threw the device back.

Oikawa only barely caught it before it slid off the mattress. “I’d make fun of you, but your arms …”

Keiji wasn’t exactly sure why his arms had actually been bandaged, since the Healers had obviously done a decent job with the rest of him, and Oikawa wore no bandages or even band-aids at all. Was it a mere precaution or something worse? He couldn’t help a shiver.

He _did_ remember his arms suffering the most. If the Devil had done anything … Maybe it had been poisonous? In which case he probably had a lot more to worry about than just the arms.

He stared at his arms, covered in white, and couldn’t help the quiet, but panicking voice in his head, asking, _What if it affects playing the violin?_

“Are you okay?” Oikawa said, sounding concerned.

“Yeah,” he answered and took a deep breath. He’d be fine. That’d be too much bad luck in too little time. “Just still a little tired. Don’t worry, Oikawa-san.” It wasn’t a complete lie.

“You should rest then! It’s not like you have to stay awake just to keep me company.”

Keiji knew.

He wanted to, though. He had slept for too long already, and he was well aware that aside from him, Oikawa was pretty much alone around here. The other seemed like the kind of person who found his way around new groups of people quickly, but Keiji knew that he himself, at least, would have preferred for the one other person in the room they were practically trapped in to at least listen instead of lying there all on his own.

And he happened to like Oikawa’s company, despite everything.

“It’s fine,” Keiji said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iwaizumi "aggressively cares about you" Hajime


	9. Elegy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **An _elegy_ (= French: élégie) is a lament, either vocal or instrumental.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> damn this took me a long time ... but hey, I still managed to update within the month, so ... success? °^°
> 
> Bokuto's family is a trainwreck and I hope I'll get around to exploiting them some more, especially his siblings. I want him to have this huge family, I don't know, it just fits him haha
> 
> also things are gonna get darker ... well not yet, this is the end of part 2. 
> 
> part 3 will be more lighthearted and focused on side characters that didn't get as much of a time to shine! also I'm really pumped about the conclusion of some big plot points, I'm so proud of myself for tying them together neatly now I only need to write it aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAH
> 
> so many questions  
> so many answers I need to write
> 
> still so hyped about writing this this is the first time this has happened to me sINCE WHEN DO I FEEL LIKE I CAN ACTUALLY FINISH THINGS WHAT IS THIS MIRACLE

Keiji wasn’t sure what time it was and didn’t bother checking. The only thing he most definitely knew was that he was _hungry_.

Research was still being done on whether Healing could affect one’s feeling of famine, but considering that the last time he had eaten anything had been yesterday’s breakfast, and that had only been one slice of toast, it seemed pretty likely. Or else he would have woken up hungry, right?

Well, that or the whole Almost Dying And Waking Up In A Hospital thing had thrown him out of any rhythm he might have had. That could also be. But he didn’t know and he didn’t care.

It had taken him about two more hours to fully wake up and frankly he didn’t even really remember what he had talked to Oikawa about, just that it had successfully kept him awake, so he was still grateful for it. Oikawa’s voice seemed to have that strange kind of effect that made you want to listen. They had settled into a comfortable silence by now though, which kind of surprised him, as it didn’t happen too often with others. Despite – or maybe because of? – everything, they got along.

The other setter had ignored Shirofuku’s orders of staying in bed – “I mean, it’s been hours, just lying around can’t be good for you either” – in order to pace around the room, right now leaning against the wall adjacent to Keiji’s bed, next to the window.

“I’ll get something to eat,” Keiji said, accompanied by a growl of his stomach.

Oikawa was silent for a moment, looking at him as if he wasn’t sure what to say. After some consideration he asked, “Do they have milk bread around here?”

“I don’t know, but probably, there’s a convenience store nearby which should stock them. I haven’t ever really looked for it.”

The other shot him a look of bewilderment. “Wait, so you’ve never bought milk bread?”

“My home isn’t really close, so not here, but … Not in general, either.” After a second of silence, filled by a shocked gasp from Oikawa, he added, “I’ve actually never tried it.”

“You’ve never tried milk bread?!” Keiji didn’t know how Oikawa could make that sound like a federal offense, but he succeeded. The Slayer found his emotions trapped somewhere between amusement and genuine guilt.

“No,” he deadpanned as a result.

“How old are you again? 16, was it?”

“16, yes.”

“Hm … That means you can still be cured. We’ll buy some, it’s on me!”

“You have money, Oikawa-san?”

“Ah … Well …” Oikawa ran a hand through his hair and winked at him. “I have dashing good looks and a winning personality!”

“So no.”

“Wait, do _you_ have money?”

Keiji blinked, remembering that the only things he had brought with him had been his violin and his wallet, said wallet sadly being almost empty safe for his ID and a train ticket. Even if he had still had change, which wasn’t the case, it probably wouldn’t have been enough to buy anything of substance.

Instead of giving an answer, he said, “We should probably just call someone.”

“Or we’ll combine our dashing good looks and … Well, my winning personality and let them give us everything for free,” Oikawa suggested, sounding half serious.

“I don’t think capitalism works that way. Also since when is it _our_ good looks?”

“You have to use a face like yours to your advantage, Akaacchi!” he proclaimed as if it was the most logical thing in the world. “I mean, you’re pretty, that opens up so many doors!”

The sincerity in his voice startled him. He’d been told he was attractive before, and he had never really cared, but the way Oikawa had said it, like stating an obvious fact rather than an opinion, made his cheeks heat up just the tiniest bit.

“Uhm,” he started, momentarily taken aback. “Well, I … I think you need the attitude for that too. Like you.”

“That’s why we should work together – by the way, did you just lowkey admit I’m pretty?”

“Stating facts.” This conversation was going in the exact opposite direction of what Keiji had anticipated – read, away from food and towards … Whatever this was –, so he quickly added, “Either way, we need to get something to eat or I might starve.”

“Seconded,” Oikawa said, letting the former topic drop (like the figurative hot potato Keiji could have _really_ used right now). “How about we call Yukie-chan?”

“I’d tell you I can’t believe you’re already on a first name basis, but I’m really not surprised. But I don’t think Shirofuku-san would be too happy if we wasted her time like this. She’s looking after the others too, after all.” He furrowed his eyebrows in thought. “Maybe we’d be best off just notifying an adult …”

“Like Satsuki!” Oikawa exclaimed. “Shouldn’t you call her anyways? She’s probably worried sick.”

His mother hadn’t even tried calling him, if his phone didn’t lie to him. Keiji wasn’t sure what he had expected. Most people would presume she was indifferent to what happened to him, but that probably wasn’t the case. He assumed it was more likely she didn’t want to pry. After all, she had let him go quite easily despite her earlier warnings and even …

Wait.

“Speaking of which, I understand why she let _me_ go, but what about you?”

Oikawa cocked his head to the side, humming in thought before saying, “A mystery for another day. Now … Wait, isn’t this a hospital? There’s free food at hospitals, right? I’ve spent a fair share of time in them to know.”

Keiji wouldn’t let it slide that easily, and he knew that Oikawa was well aware of that, but his stomach grumbling again, louder this time, shut him up. He wasn’t sure whether there was actually anything to eat in the hospital, at least for free, but he decided they were better off searching than staying here and complaining.

He pushed the heavy blanket off himself and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. They felt a little weird, probably from lying down for too long, but thankfully didn’t hurt. He slipped into his shoes and stood up, taking a careful step at a time.

A sudden sensation of dizziness suddenly swept into his head, causing him to tumble – only to feel someone holding him up.

“Wow, careful there,” Oikawa said, the hint of a smile resonating in his voice. “You alright?”

“Y-yeah?” He had probably stood up too quickly – that happened sometimes, and coupled with him having lain in bed all day as well as his hunger …

Or maybe the same reason his arms were bandaged was influencing this too. But that wasn’t the case, he told himself. He was _fine_. A little worn out, maybe, but otherwise fine.

Oikawa eyed him suspiciously before letting go. “If you say so …”

He didn’t look too convinced, but Keiji wasn’t in the mood to argue right now. If anything else happened, he would consult Suzumeda, or maybe Yamamoto.

At the very least both of them had been wearing their clothes from the get-go, even though they looked significantly cleaner than they should have been, so whomever had been responsible for them had probably washed them. Either that or one of their Healers had the power to get rid of dirt. Anything was possible.

“Well, now off to the great adventure of—“ Oikawa was cut short by a suspicious growl of his stomach. “Not starving,” he finished, a light blush painting his cheeks. It was kind of cute.

Keiji blamed the latter thought on his current state.

 

* * *

 

“ _Upon the sudden disappearance of several students near Ametani Boys High School, Kyoto, followed two weeks after by a similar case near Fukurodani Academy, Tokyo, we advise to stay indoors whenever possible. There has yet to be confirmed what caused the incident, though a Demon is the mainly suspected culprit. Please stay alert of your surroundings at all time and do not engage in combat. On to the weather …_ ”

“So they’re finally broadcasting it, huh?” Saeko said, leaning on the doorframe to Tanaka’s room. She turned her attention away from the low-quality radio by the window to throw the four people gathered around the low table a bunch of snacks. “Don’t forget to eat.”

“What are you, my mother?” Tanaka said and shot her an annoyed look, but she just laughed out loud.

“Nah, I just don’t want you to die yet! Who’s gonna take care of your kouhai?”

Her brother seemed to contemplate it for a moment before nodding solemnly. “You have a point.”

Without another word, Saeko drew the door shut again and footsteps disappeared down the hallway.

“The fact that she knew about it shows just how terrible they are at covering it up,” Tsukishima said, warily inspecting the snacks before grabbing a chocolate bar.

“It’s all over … Everywhere, really.” Nishinoya finished his own chocolate bar in one bite, continuing with a full mouth. “Even Suga-san didn’t care that we knew. And he was _there_!”

The more Tadashi thought about it, the stranger it became. You could call Sugawara many things, but uncaring wasn’t one. He’d have expected the Demon to be much more … Concerned about them trying to investigate it. As far as he knew, he hadn’t even told Daichi.

The whole thing being big enough to be on the actual news now put him at unease, and he wasn’t even hungry despite the tasty-looking food Saeko had thrown them. Tsukishima next to him gave him a side glance, but he shook his head.

“By the way, I’ve been giving all of our information to Akaashi-san, but he hasn’t read my last E-Mail yet.”

“I’m still not really sure what Akaashi has to do with this, but okay,” Tanaka said, shrugging.

“I wanted someone slightly more competent than the two of you in on the case,” Tsukishima replied in a voice that could freeze lava, “and like this we can spread our reach further.”

Tadashi added, “I thought about asking Ennoshita-san, but … He’s kind of scary.” Not in the traditional, ghosts and deserted mansions at the night of a new moon, kind of scary, of course. Tadashi always got the feeling from him that he knew much more than he lead everyone else to believe.

“I know, right? Last time we studied for math, he didn’t let me go home until I got all his questions right! I still have nightmares of Euler’s formula.” Nishinoya didn’t look particularly frightened though.

That wasn’t exactly what he had meant, but Tadashi decided it wasn’t important and dropped it. “Anyways, the most important thing is if this actually helps us?”

Tanaka shook his head, eyebrows furrowed. “Nah, who cares if it helps us, I’d say it’s pretty damn important on its own. What’re these city boys gonna do without us?”

“Probably wait for the Unity to fix things,” Tadashi argued.

“But isn’t that the exact opposite of what we want? I mean, we’re going _against_ the Unity, right? Or have I got everything wrong?” Nishinoya asked in between bites on a marshmallow.

“No, you’re right,” Tsukishima said and Tadashi could have sworn he heard a muffled “for once”. It might have just been his imagination though. “If we keep sitting around nothing will happen. A Demon that can abduct people sounds suspiciously similar to Akiteru’s disappearance, at least somewhat. And anything that gives us a solid lead is fair game.”

Nishinoya raised an arm before asking, “Does that include breaking into restricted areas?”

Tsukishima sighed. “If we absolutely have to …”

“Neat.”

 

* * *

 

Koutarous chest was falling and rising as he slept. He looked almost peaceful like this, but Tetsurou wasn’t fooled; his skin was too pale, his silhouette too clear, his breath too raspy.

Obviously, a burnout took a toll one one’s body, and he had been there, had _seen_ what it had done to Koutarou, and even though Kai had reassured him it hadn’t been Tetsurou’s fault, he knew that wasn’t true.

He had been an idiot. He should have just let this fucking Devil be and wreak havoc. How could he have thought it would be a good idea to fight it, and with Koutarou of all people?

At the very least, he should have gone alone.

Shirofuku had stopped by Koutarou’s room in the hospital not long ago and told him to get out, if only to stop thinking about it, but he hadn’t been able to just yet. He had lost track of how long he’d been here and simply watched, trying not to cry and failing, although his tears had subsided by now.

Koutarou, and Akaashi as well as … Oikawa, was it? They could have all died out there, and it was _his fault_. It hadn’t even been him to call the others; Kenma had probably been responsible for that. As far as Tetsurou knew, it had been thanks to Kenma that Akaashi had been there, too.

In which world was Kozume Kenma more productive than him? He was used to his friend being the saner one, but he had never considered himself this incompetent. What had gotten into him? Since when was he so conceited?

Well, if nothing else, it served as a lesson to never do this again, ever. Though that didn’t help the pain he felt when looking at his still unconscious boyfriend at all. At least Akaashi and Oikawa were fine, according to Shirofuku, and Koutarou would make it. All that thanks to OWL and Catastrophe Regulation showing up just on time. Personally, he hadn’t even been hurt enough to warrant his own bed in this place.

There was nobody else in the room and the silence was slowly driving Tetsurou crazy, but he couldn’t leave just yet. If Koutarou woke up without him, he’d feel like even more of an asshole. Instead he sighed deeply, blew his hair out of his face and got out his phone.

**_@kit kat, Oct. 24 th_ **

**_2:48 PM._ ** _you are an idiot_

Why thank you, Kenma. Hammer it in some more, will you?

But then again, he couldn’t say he was surprised, and he definitely deserved it. The other unread message was from his father.

**_@daddy long legs, Oct. 24 th_ **

**_12:16 PM._ ** _You are an idiot._

Tetsurou narrowed his eyes, staring at the screen for a moment before putting his phone into his back pocket again.

 

* * *

 

“There’s blood in your hair, by the way,” Tooru said while unwrapping the rice ball the creepy old lady at the counter had thrown them without a word when they had asked for where they could get anything to eat.

“They don’t really have showers around here,” Akaashi mumbled, mouth full.

“But they do have washing machines, apparently.” He took a bite out of his own food and didn’t care to hide the delighted smile spreading over his face as he hummed. He hadn’t realised exactly how hungry he had been until he had finally gotten something to eat.

Akaashi sighed, leaning back against the wall of the building, eyes closed. “I just hope we’ll get home soon.”

Nobody had told them when they would be allowed to leave or if they could just go without a word. Technically, he wasn’t even sure whether going outside was forbidden, but the clean, fresh air provided a welcome change to the small room they had stayed in for far too long. Also, the sun was slowly staring to set, so that at least gave him a certain sense of time.

The garden of the hospital seemed more like a small park, complete with colour coordinated flower beets and ‘keep off the grass’ signs. A small dog walked past, stopped to look at them, and revealed snake teeth hissing at them before it wagged its tail and strolled over, pressing against Tooru’s leg. He knelt down to pet it but made sure the rice ball was out of its reach. He still needed that.

“How do you usually do it?” he murmured, a hand absentmindedly caressing the Demon’s head. Its smooth black fur reminded him of Iwaizumi’s cat. “Do you just leave?”

“Pretty much, but I want to wait until I know Bokuto-san’s alright,” Akaashi said.

Sounded reasonable. Bokuto, even more so than the others, actually, obviously meant a lot to him. Tooru figured he could compare it to him and Iwaizumi, though he had no idea whether the other two had known each other for as long as they had. Except that Bokuto probably didn’t threaten to kill his precious kouhai for almost dying. Not that he would have been in any place to, either way. In the end, he was the reason they were standing here in the first place.

“We can be thankful for Yamamoto though.” Akaashi finished the last bit of his rice ball while speaking. “If it wasn’t for him, we’d all be broke. It’s in times like these that I’m happy we’re friends with the Cats.”

“Right, I didn’t even think about payment,” Tooru said and hummed. The Demon seemed to have grown bored of him and ran away. He waved after it before straightening up again. “Do you just get a discount? And who pays it, actually? Back home we have a committee for stuff like that.”

“It’s pretty much the same here, except if they’re out of money, we need to pay it by ourselves …” The other sighed. “They’re always out of money. And no, we don’t get a discount, they usually just sweep it under the rug.”

“They’ve gotta lose some money through that,” he murmured. It sounded like a bad way to budget. He probably wouldn’t do it. Well, it depended on who was asking. If Ushiwaka came in, he’d charge him double the price.

Akaashi made a wide hand gesture towards the garden. “Doesn’t look like it. It feels like they’ve added something new every time I come here. Those signs weren’t here last time I visited.”

Tooru was about to answer something when he heard a soft buzz coming from Akaashi’s pockets. The other’s eyes widened and he quickly scrambled for his phone, immediately answering.

“Bokuto-san?”

Oh, so either the Encrypt had awakened from his slumber or someone else had made use of his phone. He hoped for the former; in all honesty he’d much rather get out of here. Even if this was a very unusual hospital … Thing, there were much more comfortable places he could think of, most likely the Akaashi apartment. And maybe he’d get back home soon – as much as he liked spending company with the Slayer, as long as they weren’t almost dying, he did miss home. Also he still hadn’t answered his mother. He needed to write something down for that, without a script he’d be doomed. More than he was already.

“Yes … Are you sure?” Akaashi furrowed his eyebrows at whatever the person on the other end had said. “I’d rather … No, I understand.” An exasperated sigh. “Alright. But Kuroo-san is still there? Fine. See you then.”

He didn’t look too happy when he took his phone down. “Bokuto-san woke up, but he doesn’t want to see anyone right now. He sounded pretty run down.”

Tooru would have been lying had he said he didn’t understand it. Bokuto must feel terribly guilty, maybe even more so than Kuroo – who he was sure was damning himself for bringing them all in such a situation in the first place –, and he probably wouldn’t want anyone to see him either. In fact, he was vaguely reminded of an incident last year in which an upperclassman had been injured while helping him and Matsukawa out with a second class. He’d felt terrible. Even now, the guilt hadn’t entirely subsided, and he didn’t know if the other had ever recovered entirely.

“Anyway, we should head home then,” Akaashi said. “I’ll text Shirofuku-san. We’ll take the train … Do you have a ticket?”

“Uh, no.” Now that he thought about it, he had taken the train to get to the battlefield, but illegally so. Did that make him a bad person now? It would have been the first time he had ever technically broken the law. For some reason, he felt really guilty. There went his clean slate citizenship. Farewell … At least nobody had caught him.

“I can call mom to pick us up,” he said, which sounded like a good plan. Not like there was anything else they could do, really, unless they wanted to walk the distance (although Tooru obviously had no idea how far away from the Akaashi apartment they were right now, but judging from the Slayer’s behaviour it didn’t seem to be too close). Which he usually would have been perfectly fine with, but quite honestly, he couldn’t really motivate himself after everything. The sooner they got back the better.

Akaashi was on his phone before Tooru could even nod, so apparently it hadn’t even been much of a choice after all.

He wondered what Satsuki would say, She _had_ been the one asking him to look after her son – and that had probably been a good thing, he liked to think, or else things might have ended worse –, but upon hearing about their condition she surely didn’t feel too well. He wanted to blame her, but couldn’t. If he had been in her situation, he would have either done the same or just gone after Akaashi himself. Satsuki probably wasn’t capable of the latter – she didn’t seem like the kind of person who would just sit around if she was.

Akaashi frowned, holding his phone to his ear. “She’s not answering,” he said, more a murmur than anything. After a moment he put the phone down. No response.

He had a really bad feeling about this.

“I’ll try our landline.”

“Maybe she’s just out and forgot her phone. Shopping for groceries or something,” Tooru offered, but something about this struck him the wrong way. Maybe it was just his imagination going off the rails, and yet …

“She’s probably out, yeah.” He didn’t miss the strain in Akaashi’s voice though, the lines of worry on his face. “It’s inconvenient though. Maybe someone else can take us. If not, we’ll walk. It’s quite the distance, but I think we’ve both been through worse.”

He made it sound so easy. Damn those Ability users. Still, there wasn’t really much he could say, so he just nodded with a sigh.

Satsuki would be fine. She had to be. There was no reason for her _not_ to be fine, really. Even if his gut feeling reminded him a lot of what he had felt back when Shiida suddenly hadn’t answered his texts anymore shortly before they had gotten the letter.

But that had been a once-in-a-lifetime thing, right?

Akaashi led them back inside, his movements hurried.

 

* * *

 

Koutarou had meant it when he had told Akaashi that he didn’t want to see anyone right now, except for Tetsurou, who was still holding his hand with as much force as he could manage.

He probably should have told his father that, too.

At least it hadn’t been his whole family coming here, he wasn’t sure whether the room would have been big enough, but Bokuto Hitomu with his strong arms folded over his chest and his jet-black hair slicked back was a scary enough sight on his own. Behind him, Koutarou’s sister Miki had the nerve to giggle.

Tetsurou had apologised about a thousand times already ever since they had shown up about five minutes ago, and Koutarou had joined in until it had been more of a chant than anything else, but now the room was dead quiet safe for Miki’s badly concealed laughter.

If he had been Akaashi or Washio, he might have thought of a comparison to describe what he felt. As of now, the only think he could manage to think was, _fuck._

Then Hitomu spoke up, saying no more than, “You are idiots.”

“I seem to get that a lot lately,” Tetsurou murmured so quietly he almost missed it.

“Naw, come on, dad, you would’ve done the same.” Miki poked at her father’s shoulder. “No need to intimidate them like that.”

“Just because I would have done the same doesn’t mean it was the responsible choice!”

Miki snorted. “You’re looking for responsibility in Kou-chan? Really?”

“Hey, low blow!” Koutarou said with a pout. She wasn’t exactly _wrong_ , but there were nicer ways to phrase that!

“Just a fact,” she answered and shrugged before turning her attention back to Hitomu. “Now come on, we’re all stupid children sometimes. I’m sure he’s learned his lesson.”

“How old is she?” Tetsurou whispered.

“Fourteen, but I think she’s actually thirty inside,” he said, louder than intended.

His sister _tsk_ ed and threw her long brown hair back like she was in some sort of shampoo commercial. “Please, just because I’m the most mature in this family doesn’t mean I’m old in spirit. It’s not hard to be smarter than you.”

“If you’re really that mature,” Hitomu chimed in, “can we finally get rid of those stuffed animals then? They’re taking up too much space.”

The sound Miki made at that was inhuman. She swayed her arms around as she struggled for words, but all that came out were desperate squeaks.

Koutarou laughed and just like that, everything was okay. He was pretty sure he’d still get punished for breaking out of the house, almost dying, and whatever else he had done that was considered illegal or morally questionable, but it was always like this – he knew whom to blame on the mood swings everybody complained about so much. He’d grown up in a family like that.

Tetsurou gave him a confused sidelong glance and he couldn’t help but grin even more. Yup. After everything, this was still where he belonged.

 

* * *

 

It had eventually been one of the hospital employees driving them back home. As soon as the middle-aged woman dropped them off with a “take care,” Keiji hurried outside, looking around to find his mother’s car, a small red vehicle that desperately needed to be cleaned, in the same spot as always.

He had kept his phone in his hand for the whole ride and grown more anxious with the second when nobody had sent him anything, and this didn’t really help to soothe him.

The world passed by in a blur as he took the familiar steps, practically sprinting by the end of them, and scrambled for his keys. It seemed to take an eternity to get them out, put them in, turn them, and practically throw open the door, but when he looked inside he was certain he’d find his mother sitting on the couch watching TV or something similar.

Instead, his vision went black.

His knees gave out underneath him.

 

* * *

 

Tooru only barely managed to catch Akaashi before he hit the ground, his heart racing.

The boy’s lips were slightly parted, his eyes closed, and his breath came out in uneven pants. His skin seemed too pale – he looked terrible, but well, he _had_ just passed out.

Tooru’s mind shot back to the hospital, where the other had stumbled seemingly on thin air. Were these still the aftereffects of the fight or the healing? With those bandages on his arm, could it be that he was worse off than originally thought? Did it even matter?

He steadied them and went inside, the apartment’s lights switched on, but nobody else to be heard.

“Satsuki?” he called, once, then again. No answer.

Maybe she hadn’t heard him. She might be upstairs, maybe listening to music with headphones on or something. But then why would she have left the lights on? And why would she have gone at this time of day?

He didn’t want to let go of Akaashi and especially not let him out of his sight. Who knew what would happen? Nobody could be sure anymore. He couldn’t just heave him up the stairs though.

There was a cell phone lying on the coffee table. So she probably had gone out without it – yes, that was the only way, maybe she’d be back in a few minutes. She had to be. She would be.

“Satsuki!” he shouted again, louder this time, but was only met with silence and the distinct feeling that something was very, very wrong.

If a Demon had gotten in here … No, there would be traces. Nothing looked out of place and most things were even still where he remembered them being as of yesterday.

It was his imagination. It had to be. Everything would fall into place eventually.

Except it _wouldn’t_ , what was he even thinking, of course it wouldn’t, things weren’t as easy, they never were, and he knew exactly what was going on right now so why was he still trying to pretend he didn’t?

The silence was weighing on him, heavy as an anchor.

Useless.

He was useless, useless, _useless_ ; had he been a user, had he just been stronger even without his powers he would have been able to save them all, they would have gotten back in time; hell, had he not even gone in the first place he might have been able to do something and everything would have been fine – but now it wasn’t and Satsuki was gone and Akaashi was laying limp in his arms, breath unsteady and heavy, sweat coating his forehead.

What had he done so far? Nothing. Bought them some time, perhaps, but in the end what did it matter? It hadn’t changed the outcome. Had he been of any use at all, he wouldn’t even have ended up here, he would have been back at Seijoh with everyone else, blissfully ignorant of OWL and the hospital and Satsuki and Akaashi and a too-powerful Demon.

Somewhere in the back of his mind someone said that he was stupid for blaming himself.

He didn’t listen.

All he did was reach for his phone, search for Sugawara’s contact, and jam the call button, but the only response he got was a low buzzing sound.

Tooru didn’t realise he was shaking until the device slipped from his grasp, landing on the wooden floor with a final sounding thwump.

Outside, the last bit of sunlight had vanished to let the night take over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to use this chapter title for something much sadder, but ... it just fit perfectly with the ending ... also it's a nice word. elegy. much nicer than what's going to happen that's for sure


	10. Glissando

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Derived from the French _glisser_ , to slide, the Italianised word is used to describe sliding in music from one note to another.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in which the third years deal with a lot and also there's Ennoshita
> 
> this is ... so short ... but if I had added anything else it would've just become convoluted ...
> 
> this seems like too many different plotlines at once bUT TRUST ME I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING WITH THIS (for once)
> 
> we'll get to the Suga backstory soon which I'm really pumped to write!! °^°)/
> 
> I was stuck on the Mattsun part for a while but man did I have a blast writing Makki, it's like a flashback to some of my original works with all my sarcastic protagonists ... I miss writing like that. I should write a fic like that. no holding back just pure uncontrolled sass and similes that don't make sense. ୧༼✿ ͡◕ д ◕͡ ༽୨

** PART THREE **  
**INTERLUDE**

_Of those who look around and see nothing but ashes and fire and of the ones who made them realise the worth in even that._

 

* * *

 

 

It was 10 in the evening and Takahiro was starting to become worried, for several reasons.

First of all, Matsukawa hadn’t bothered to show up again after being dragged to the principal (the poor guy, and he wasn’t sure which one of them he was referring to). That bastard hadn’t even sent a message so far. It had been three days, jeez, he could have the decency to tell him where the fuck he was. Takahiro knew for a fact he was alright (although once asked he couldn’t have exactly described _why_ , he just _knew_ it, and if he had to blame it on some supernatural bond they shared then whatever, he’d just do that), so there was really no excuse for him to disappear like that.

Second, along with his upperclassmen, another one of the problem children Seijoh seemed to adopt on a daily basis, namely Kyoutani ‘Mad Dog’ Kentarou, had followed suit, but Yahaba had assured them he was also fine. Whether Yahaba saying Kyoutani was ‘fine’ meant the second year was alive and well or had accidentally ripped out his own vocal cords was another question entirely though. He didn’t really care, as Kyoutani not coming to practice pissed Takahiro off mostly because it also meant that _Yahaba_ wasn’t coming to practice either and they were really running short on setters right now.

Third, the Devil in the gym, sealed by yours truly, Ushijima Wakatoshi, was gone but the aftereffects weren’t. Ushiwaka’s ability, it seemed, had the annoying tendency to blow everything surrounding him away and create pure chaos if he messed up even one of those esoteric overcomplicated looking spell things he had to write in the air. As if the Devil hadn’t wreaked enough havoc already, damn it. Half of their volleyball nets were unusable and he really didn’t want to think about that giant hole in the wall.

Fourth … Where the fuck was Iwaizumi? Like, not in a literal sense, he was standing a few feet away from him, but more in the sense of where the fuck had Iwaizumi’s focus gone? He was lurking around like some overly pensive hedgehog, mind somewhere else, probably in Tokyo with his sorry excuse of a childhood friend.

Okay, maybe ‘worried’ had been the wrong word. He should have called it ‘pissed off’.

Now he knew at least why he had liked not being the voice of reason in the team and instead staying in the background, taking things as they came. Things had been much easier when he and Matsukawa had been responsible for the daily dose of making fun of Oikawa. He couldn’t even do _that_ right now. It wasn’t half as fun when the setter in question wasn’t around.

Takahiro picked up a round stone from the ground and threw it into the river before them. If the third years had all been together right now, one of them would have probably suggested to go and kill some second classes, but with only him and Iwaizumi, apparently stuck in another dimension, the only thing it would lead to would be death and if he had desired to die, there were easier ways.

He had considered just calling up some of his other friends, but either his phone hated him or something was wrong with the mobile network around here. At least he was pretty sure you were at least supposed to hear some beeping instead of nothing at all.

“Fuck,” he said to no one in particular.

“Language, Hanamaki,” Iwaizumi murmured without missing a beat.

He was half tempted to make some snarky comment about the other finally coming back to the world of the living but decided against it. Instead he yawned.

Why were they even still standing around here? Why had they come here in the first place? This was nowhere near either of their homes. In fact, they had taken a train going into the opposite direction to even reach this place and then what? Mope around in silence staring at some water rushing by?

What a trainwreck of a life he was currently leading. And all on his own too. Usually Matsukawa would have been here to suffer with him but well, he wasn’t, for whatever damn reason. He couldn’t believe he was actually in love with that guy. Outrageous.

He had kind of given up on the idea of ever _not_ being in love with Matsukawa, if that apparent spiritual connection was any indication, but damn, could it be annoying at times. Out of everyone in the team that wasn’t Iwaizumi, Matsukawa usually had his act together the most, but then there were times like this. The only person he could possibly turn to now was Watari, though he suspected terrible things with him. Watari was too nice. Exactly the kind of nice that would be taught in a mafia family.

Takahiro didn’t really want to say it, but he had to admit at least to himself that mostly, he was probably lonely. Things would have looked much better had Matsukawa been there like he always was.

“Can we go home now?” he asked, not expecting an answer.

“I guess,” Iwaizumi said with a look on his face that, paired with the tone of his voice, reminded him of a thunderstorm.

He poked him just for the fun of it and said, “Alright then, call me when you stop sulking so we can find the others.”

Not that they could do a lot; both of them were just your boring, plain old humans, with no powers despite surviving the daily presence of Oikawa Tooru (that was when he was actually daily present, unlike right now. Takahiro started to get the feeling that maybe they just needed him to unconsciously steal his life force or something so that they wouldn’t end up like this).

He stalked up the slope and stretched on the sidewalk, looking over the scenery one more time before yawning yet again and making his way toward the train station.

 

* * *

 

“ _Fuck_ , I think he’s bleeding—”

“Healer, w-where’s a Healer?”

“Tendou, guard a little wider— No, not that wide, idiot, you’ll burn out … Don’t just drop it completely, what are you doing?!”

“How can you even see? It’s pitch black.”

“Semisemi has night vision!”

“No I don’t, cut the crap and let me do my work!”

Which in itself was pretty much impossible since, as stated before, _it was pitch black_. Whether that was Tendou’s fault – why dark matter shields, of all things? – or that of the Demon that had surprised them he didn’t know and didn’t care. The most important thing was killing that monstrosity, wherever it was, but if it was a Devil they were pretty much fucked anyways. Ushijima wasn’t here and unless one of them would suddenly start to display two-spiritedness, they were done for.

Well, they were done for anyways.

At least the thing didn’t attack them while he desperately tried to feel out his surroundings and somehow stop the bleeding of whomever was currently in his arms with something that felt suspiciously like an open wound. Yamagata was here somewhere, but that didn’t help them if he couldn’t heal …

Maybe it would have been helpful to know where they are but the ground he was kneeling on didn’t feel like the asphalt of the street they had been walking on. It didn’t actually feel like ground at all, but that was probably his imagination and the fact that his heart was currently trying to compete for the sprinting world record.

“Alright!” sing-songed someone that sounded like Tendou as if this was morning practice. “Everybody’s who still conscious shout ‘here’!”

“Tendou, he’s literally dying—”

“Here!” Yamagata called from somewhere to his left.

“Here,” said a frightened sounding girl’s voice he recognised as one of his classmates, even though he didn’t know her name. She had been the only other one near the store they had been going to.

With an impatient sigh, Eita said, “Here, and now can we get on with this? Yamagata, come over here!”

“Where _is_ ‘over here’?”

“Wait, if that’s all of us, where’s Kenjirou-kun?”

“Probably the one _dying_ here, oh my god,” Eita shouted into what he hoped was Tendou’s direction. The fact that Shirabu was currently in his arms would have usually bothered him a lot more, but right now the important part was that Shirabu was _injured and probably bleeding out_ in his arms and he knew how to set his priorities.

“Semi?” That was Yamagata’s voice from a bigger distance than before.

“T-the other direction, I think,” the girl called out, not really loudly.

 _Hurry up_ , he thought and tried to do something, anything – he was pressing his jacket on what he hoped was the wound but other than that he had no idea how to properly care for probably-Shirabu who was also probably unconscious. In the chaos of the others shouting over one another he couldn’t even hear him groan, let alone breathe.

Wherever they were right now, sound was fucked up in here, so he wasn’t even sure if Yamagata was really to his left and finally coming closer like he sounded to. Even if the Healer could come over here, that wouldn’t guarantee he’d be able to do something.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck._

His eyes weren’t getting used to the dark either, so this was definitely some supernatural thing. And probably not Tendou’s fault. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.

Or hopefully it _was_ , because that meant things could be fixed.

Probably-Shirabu shifted in his arms, his body clenching up, and he let out a tiny groan of pain. Okay. He was alive. That was a good thing. For now.

“Shirabu, don’t you dare die on me,” Eita murmured absentmindedly, though it came out as more of a huff in between his heavy breaths. His hands were shaking and he somehow tried to cling onto everything he could find while simultaneously keeping Shirabu alive, which in itself sounded like an impossible task—

 

* * *

 

“ _… another case of mysterious disappearances around Japan, a small group of students near Shiratorizawa Academy in Miyagi has been reported to go missing as well. Please remember that you should stay indoors as much as possible and avoid travelling in groups or to crowded places …_ ”

Issei turned off the radio with a sigh. He could bet his teammates were out there right now and he wasn’t going to leave them hanging. Hanamaki was fine, apparently, and at home if the newly readjusted GPS system his head had apparently always had wasn’t lying to him. It only really worked for Hanamaki, but he figured Hanamaki was the only one who mattered.

He quickly put on his jacket, sheathed his double swords, and gripped the house keys. What was a group of non-users with their leader stuck in another prefecture to do?

Probably wait for their teammate or an Ability user. Though now both was pretty much the same thing.

The thought that he, Matsukawa Issei, the worst fighter of the four, should have an Ability sounded ridiculous even to his own ears but hey, punched-in walls didn’t exactly lie. He hadn’t been able to trigger it again after the gym case, but he thought he’d just have to get into another life-or-death scenario to do it again.

Nobody knew – he hoped, he wouldn’t let the Unity take his weapons now that he was apparently a Slayer, or had always been. Which actually explained quite a few things. The connection to Hanamaki he had felt ever since they had first met, his higher than usual stamina, and his tolerance level of his fellow teammates.

“Matsukawa-san, seriously?”

Well, _nobody knew_ except for Yahaba. And Kyoutani. And he’d have to tell his team eventually.

Seijoh’s resident creampuff was leaning against the wall of the hallway, arms crossed and a frown painted on his porcelain face. “You can’t just go out right after hearing the warning. It’s getting bothersome fixing all of you up again every time you get injured. Doesn’t Iwaizumi-san have anything to say against this?”

“Why are you in my house?” Issei asked for the third time today. And it wasn’t _just_ Yahaba; Kyoutani was in the bathroom right now. He hoped. His parents were gone for the week, but if anything broke, he’d still be held responsible.

Like the other two times, Yahaba simply ignored his question. Issei had always taken him for someone full of respect for his upperclassmen, and he wasn’t wrong, but there were times like these when he just seemed to abandon that attitude.

Instead, he said, “I can’t believe this. My energy supplies aren’t limited either, you know. I’m not as enduring as other Healers.”

He said that, but Issei was pretty sure he was lying to get his way. At least Issei had never seen him even remotely close to being burned out, even with their constant downpour of bad luck.

“And if the four … Well, three of you die you’ll leave me alone with Kyoutani.”

“There’s always Watari.”

“Watari’s been through enough.”

“Fair point.”

Considering this conversation over, Issei opened the door and called out, “Make sure you keep that Mad Dog under control!” before taking his leave, only to be running into an invisible wall.

Well, maybe it wasn’t an invisible wall but the fact that Yahaba held onto the back of his shirt. “Oh no, no way,” the second year said, shaking his head valiantly. “If you’re going, we’re coming with you. Which doesn’t mean you should. Because you shouldn’t. I’m just saying.”

Aw, so he _did_ care about them. How sweet. Issei knew why Yahaba was his favourite kouhai – well, aside from maybe Kunimi. You were never really sure where you stood with Kunimi.

“So, how are we gonna do it? You stay in the background, I punch whatever comes our way, and Kyoutani … Does whatever he does?”

If he was being honest, Issei had no idea if Kyoutani even had an Ability. He certainly had the physical conditions for it, but that might be just rigorous training. Those spikes were probably considered weaponry in some countries. Nobody really knew anything about Kyoutani, if he thought about it. It wasn’t like he shared a lot.

The haunted look on Yahaba’s face spoke volumes. “He’s our last resort. Before that we might want to keep him on a leash or something.”

“Aren’t we taking that dog allegory too far?”

“What are you talking about?” came a low voice from the end of the hallway as Kyoutani stalked toward them, brows furrowed as usual. Issei just waved it off. The second year’s menacing aura was much less impressive when you knew him.

“Anyways, we’re going, apparently,” he said instead. “Off to wherever our group is probably doing some dangerous shit again.”

Yahaba sighed deeply. “Since when is it ‘our group’? We have nothing to do with this.”

“You should’ve made that clear before you came into my house. There’s no going back now, so go, go, let’s go!”

He swore he heard Kyoutani mutter “let’s go, Datekou” on his way out.

 

* * *

 

Dark curtains were drawn in front of the huge windows. The meeting room seemed smaller this way, but with only the two of them here, it wasn’t all that bad.

“So it hit Shiratorizawa this time?” his mother said, head resting on her hand and legs crossed. In front of her, a cup of coffee was steaming next to the blue folder in front of her that Chikara knew was labelled ‘members and allies’. “That explains why I didn’t hear from Eita.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “We really don’t have time for this. There’s still the Kageyama twins …”

“No, this has priority,” she argued, shaking her head. Her wavy brown hair was tied in a neat ponytail that waved around at the motion. “Also if this is tied to the Unity like we suppose, we could kill two birds with one stone. Most importantly, Eita is one of our strongest Slayers – and the only one we have of your age. We can’t risk losing him.”

He would have been lying had he said that he knew Semi very well. He wasn’t even exactly sure how Shiratorizawa’s pinch server of all people had become part of the Family, much less started to actually do good work. Chikara had always been told that they all knew more than the average person, and maybe that was true, but among their own, he felt impressively ignorant.

But if his mother, Ennoshita Ami, said this was important, it probably was. Few people outranked her. In fact, only his grandfather did.

“Do you want me on the case?” he asked warily. Chikara would much prefer watching over Kageyama Tobio and Tori like he’d been ordered to. The case of the mysterious Demon that was by now all over the news seemed like too big a deal for a non-user to work on.

To his relief she shook her head again. “No, I’ll send professionals to deal with the situation.”

 _I’m a professional too, you know_ , he thought, but didn’t take it personally. Maybe the phrasing was off, but he knew that there were more skilled people, and especially more experienced people, in the Family. He might have been training his whole life but so had other, older members, and it was obvious which ones of them had the advantage.

“We need everything at their best though,” his mother continued, “and the Kageyama case is still very important. I’ll pull Ryouta off it and leave it in your hands. Don’t disappoint me, Chikara.”

“I won’t,” he said more confidently than he felt. She was right, it was a lot of responsibility – but among the Family, the least thing expected from anyone was no less than perfection. It was one of the reasons why he had taken volleyball back up; at least he didn’t have to fear for his life there when making a mistake. He found it relaxing in a way.

He received a nod and a simple wave with her hand, dismissing him. After leaving the room and closing the heavy wooden door, Chikara let out a long sigh and released the tension in his body.

The Ennoshita Family was ruthless. He knew, he had grown up in it. Still, he couldn’t quite grow used to it. Not that he would ever know anything else; he would follow in his mother’s footsteps, after all.

Chikara quickly sent a group text to his team – Narita and Kinoshita – to inform them about the change in plans. At least he wasn’t alone, even if he had to lead.

The large building right in the centre of Sendai used to overwhelm him, but it had been long ago that he had last gotten lost in it. Now, the steps down the many hallways, the passing by the many doors, the walk down the many staircases were ingrained in his muscle memory.

If he had been half as good at fighting, maybe he’d feel a little better, but right now, with every meter taken his stomach started to hurt some more.

He wondered if that would ever fade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kinda mad at myself for not being able to exploit the Semi/Enno dynamic like I could with both as part of the mafia-- uhm Ennoshita Family but these are the sacrifices I have to make
> 
> can you tell it's 2am I neED TO STOP RAMBLING


	11. Répétiteur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **The _répétiteur_ is the musician employed to teach singers their parts and to accompany and advise them in rehearsal.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'll keep the part 3 chapters at this length (watch me overriding that statement with the next chapter because things never go as planned. I can already see it happen) since they're more for additional info and a little worldbuilding than anything else! although they will be important in the overall story even if it doesn't seem that way right now aaah
> 
> except for the Kiyoyachi part. that was just really self-indulgent. I love hopelessly crushing Yachi and hopelessly oblivious Kiyoko and Yui shipping it in the background haha ... and of course poor Yachi why did I give you THESE powers of all things ... I'd be scared too. ;w;
> 
> and on today's list of characters who put up with too much shit: Tsukishima Kei and Kageyama Tobio! have a medal, my boys.
> 
> I always forget why I used this title before I remember that it actually fits really well, lol.
> 
> fun fact I just wrote an Akaoi scene I'm really proud of aND I CAN'T EVEN USE IT YET BECAUSE WE'RE NOT THAT FAR IN THE STORY YET //sobs why must I suffer, this is my own fault

Kiyoko patted Hitoka’s head with a reassuring “there, there” in the only way of comfort she could manage while the first year was shaking in her arms, babbling nonsense about how she was going to die or worse, be expelled and bring dishonour to her family.

The reason why the young blonde was in this state was easy to deduce for anybody looking at the scene who had known her for more than a few minutes. That she was certainly not going to be punished for something she could not control that had happened many times before without bad consequences seemed to have gone over her head.

“I-I’m going—“ Hitoka sobbed, burying her head in Kiyoko’s chest. “I’m going to—“

One would assume that after several months of caring for her, Kiyoko would know what to do about Yachi’s Ability or how to comfort her, but she was still at a loss. Whatever she had done in the past had usually only worsened the situation.

They were alone behind the gym, the first class Demon that had startled the girl long gone but not the effects of Hitoka’s kneejerk reaction. Simply put, the school would need to renew their water fountains, as nothing but dust and the water dripping from the remnants of the pipes were left.

Sawamura had once said that whichever god had given Yachi Hitoka of all people the Ability of creating explosions must have either been sadist or out of their mind, but in the end it didn’t matter. Kiyoko needed to find Michimiya or Sugawara if she wanted her kouhai to really calm down.

She didn’t like to think of it that way, as she knew it wasn’t correct, but Kiyoko couldn’t help but feel like somewhat of a failure. Back in April, shortly after school had started, a terrified Hitoka had begged her for help with her Ability. Considering that she had seemed reluctant to even speak to her in the beginning, she must have really been at wit’s end. But despite both of them being Slayers, while Kiyoko could certainly help her train with visible progress, she wasn’t exactly cut out for dealing with her whenever something went awry.

It didn’t change the fact that she _wanted_ to be there for her. If anything, she felt like she _had_ to be, not out of pity or pressure, but a different feeling, one she couldn’t quite place. She cared for Hitoka a lot, that much was certain.

“Hitoka?” a familiar female voice called out before Michimiya was hurrying around the corner, eyes wide and sweat letting her brown side bangs stick to her forehead. The breath she was huffing out created little clouds in the cool autumn air. “I heard an explosion … Is everything okay?”

Hitoka let out a sob at that, then whispered something that sounded vaguely like “Michimiya-senpai”, though still muffled on Kiyoko’s chest.

“Do you have your Artefact with you?” Kiyoko asked and thankfully, she received a nod.

Out of the pocket of the standard black blazer she pulled a small dream catcher, the feathers dangling from it looking as good as new despite the pocket not being that big. Michimiya took a step forward and started gently stroking a beige one with dark accents lining it, murmuring what sounded like nonsense.

Gradually, Hitoka’s body stopped shaking and her grip on Kiyoko loosened until she stepped back and wiped her eyes with Kiyoko’s tissue.

“Better?” Kiyoko said quietly.

“Better.” The first year still sounded a bit shaken, but nothing out of the norm. Michimiya might not have been a Healer, but her Encrypt side powers definitely seemed to lean more on the supporting side than the offensive one.

 _Thank goodness._ She couldn’t stand seeing Hitoka like this, afraid of her own gift. Personally, she had been born with the luxury of powers that weren’t too strong, only soft light beams from her hands that even if they were acting up could easily be shut down with gloves, even though that felt somewhat restrictive. Hitoka however was blessed with a ridiculously strong Ability that looked more like a curse sometimes, despite her getting better at it.

Now that everything had calmed down, she found herself missing the feeling of Hitoka’s warm body in her arms, but if it was for her kouhai’s safety and wellbeing, she could easily take the sacrifice. Besides, she didn’t quite know what to do with this feeling. A classmate had once asked her whether she had a crush on Hitoka, but that sounded silly. After all, she figured she didn’t feel romantic love, or hadn’t ever before, at least.

Well, she would just take that as it came. Right now there were other problems taking priority.

Michimiya eyed the former water fountain suspiciously. “Well, I guess we’ll have to pay for that …”

“I-I-I can do that!” Hitoka shouted a little too loudly, indicating that she most definitely could not do that.

Kiyoko shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I’m sure Takeda-sensei will help us and I have more money to spare than you. Don’t worry about it.” She smiled at her and earned a stiff bow. Why was she bowing though? Had Michimiya’s powers not helped enough to calm her down? Hitoka still seemed nervous.

“I’ll inform a teacher,” the Encrypt said. Before turning around though, she leaned a little closer to Kiyoko and quietly added, “Nothing I can do about this, it’s your fault for being so pretty.” She then grinned a wide grin and waved at them before hurrying back into the school building, leaving Kiyoko confused and Yachi flushing crimson.

 

* * *

 

He could barely duck before the heavy rock hit the wall behind him and shattered at the impact. The dent in the stone of the abandoned house spoke volumes concerning how dead he would have been had he not seen it.

He didn’t have time to think though as the next thing being flung towards him looked suspiciously like a sharp metal object. A quick step to the side saved him again.

“Geez, where do you keep getting all those things from?” Kei murmured with a frown. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t survive this – despite having telekinesis powers, this second class seemed rather weak and could only lift one thing at a time – but without a weapon, all he could do was stand here and wait for someone to come and defeat the thing. There was no getting out of this anytime soon, at least.

Eventually the part snake, part cat, part spider looking Demon that was on the smaller side when considering second classes would definitely run out of ammo, until then he had to endure, he figured. At least the rigorous training coach Ukai had put them under lately had improved his stamina.

All he had wanted to do was take a short trip to the convenience store because he had been craving shortcakes, go back home, and live his life. School had been annoying enough today and apparently there had been another case of disappearances, this time targeting Shiratorizawa.

Which meant the Demon responsible for it was in their area.

A sharp pain struck his cheek when he moved the fraction of a second too late, distracted by his own thoughts. “Fuck,” he hissed, feeling blood drip down his face. That bastard had cut him.

Now he _really_ wished he had a weapon. But the only way to get one that actually worked against Demons, being enchanted by Encrypt powers, was the Unity, and that was out of the question.

There was nobody else around, the sunset dyeing the world a deep red. He usually liked to take the path through the fields because not many people knew about it, but in this moment, it was more of a curse than a blessing.

At least he wasn’t afraid of spiders or snakes. Or cats, for that matter. Even though Kuroo seemed to work towards the latter.

The Demon blinked unevenly with its eight yellow eyes and had the mercy to stop throwing things at him, creeping closer with its parted tongue sticking out. It was quiet on its velvet paws and maybe this was the moment Kei needed to run, but he didn’t dare move, not yet. Any wrong step could end up getting him killed.

He tried not to acknowledge the pace of his heart or the shaking of his body, keeping his breath as even as possible. It probably wanted his blood, he reasoned, now that it had seen it.

He would have stepped back had he not already been pressed against the wall. There was no escape. He didn’t even have his phone with him to try and call someone.

“H-help,” he breathed, almost inaudible even to him. But what was the point? He was alone. That was precisely why he had taken this damn route.

He would die for strawberry shortcakes.

Not exactly the best way to go out.

There were so many things still left to say. He couldn’t leave Yamaguchi alone before he told him just how much he appreciated him, he needed to thank his mother, and Daichi, and Sugawara, Tanaka, Nishinoya, fucking Bokuto and Kuroo—

His body acted on his own as he felt razor-sharp teeth digging into his neck.

He heard himself scream as he pushed forward, desperately punching the body in front of him; the expected pain never came, instead he felt stronger than ever, every part of him on alert and _shouldn’t it hurt?_ some distant part of his mind shouted but he didn’t bother to listen.

He kicked at nothing in particular, feeling the ecstasy rise in his veins when he felt it connect and the monster was ripped from him, flying a meter backwards and hissing in protest.

His breathing was erratic, he vaguely felt warm liquid dripping down his neck, and he couldn’t help the smile forming on his face, even if he couldn’t see through the crack on the right one of his glasses.

Some switch in his brain clicked and he remembered he should probably run, and when his feet carried him away, he felt free.

The Demon did not follow him. It was a slow one, he thought.

Kei didn’t know for how long he hadn’t stopped running until he reached the convenience store, its lights flickering in the twilight. He slowed down, coming to a stop shortly before it.

When he threw back his head, the first stars in the darkening sky seemed to waver before his eyes. He closed them, taking a deep, loud breath.

He was alive.

He was fucking alive.

How had he done that? Adrenaline? Did he have an Ability he hadn’t known about? Had he Demon been weaker than he had thought? Probably a combination of the first and last ones.

“Oh my god, are you okay?!”

When he opened his eyes and looked down again, a short woman with a tight dark grey hair bun and a horrified look on her wrinkled face was staring at him. “You’re hurt! Was that a Demon? High schoolers shouldn’t go out alone, especially not at this time— You need treatment!”

She seemed adamant on that, and Kei wasn’t an asshole to everyone, especially not old ladies who were just trying to help, so he decided to be nice. “I’m fine, don’t worry. It attacked me, but I got away.”

The woman didn’t seem to care and dragged him into the convenience store by the wrist. “We need a first aid kit!” she shouted in a surprisingly loud voice and the store clerk at the front immediately jumped up, visibly shocked.

“I-I think we might actually need a _doctor_ ,” he said before ducking under his desk to search for the kit, apparently.

Kei wasn’t _that_ bad off though. Yes, he had been bitten, but he still didn’t feel any pain, and he couldn’t be bleeding that badly.

The man hurried over, opening the plastic case while running. Some band-aids fell out but he didn’t seem to care, aiming for a huge roll of bandages instead.

“That’s really not necessary,” Kei said, trying not to pull a face. They had a decent customer service at least, but this was too much. “It’s not that deep.”

The woman blinked at him. Once. Twice. “You … You don’t look like you’re in pain.”

“I’m not. It doesn’t hurt.”

“You should be,” she whispered with her eyes wide open. “Your neck is torn open.”

“It’s not,” Kei said. “It bit me, yes, but that’s all.” He raised a hand to the side of his neck to prove a point but stopped dead when he didn’t feel skin.

There was blood on his fingers.

He still didn’t feel a thing.

The store clerk shoved the bandages into the woman’s arms and ran back to the desk, picking up the phone and ramming in a number. “It’s probably the shock!” he shouted.

“What’s your name?” the woman asked, motionless, features frozen.

“Uh, Tsukishima Kei.”

“Tsukishima.” It was so quiet, it might have been his imagination.

If it hadn’t been for the fact that the woman leaned forward and said, “Once we’ve treated you, you are coming with me. I’m sure the Unity will want to talk to you.”

 

* * *

 

For someone who had never liked being in official buildings, Tobio was surely spending his sweet time in this one.

The Karasuno Unity branch was tiny and looked like it still ran on technology from the 80s (he could even _hear_ the security cameras and the computer sitting on a desk was bulkier than their TV at home), on top of that their air system must have problems since breathing felt impossible – or maybe that was just him. Though he wasn’t nervous. He really wasn’t. He had been when they had first come here, but it had literally been half a day and nobody had showed up.

Tori didn’t seem to care, sitting with her legs folded and playing on her phone.

All the things he could be doing right now, like practicing serves or his falling toss, or maybe he could watch some volleyball videos from the Interhigh to prepare for the oncoming Spring Tournament matches, or check on some other teams’ practices … Well, not the latter anymore, as it was nine PM and no team was training anymore at this time of day, but the other options still held true. He had wasted all of his day because of his stupid sister in some stupid office waiting for stupid employees that never came.

The plastic chair he was sitting on was screwed to the wall. If it hadn’t been, he might have already thrown it. All his questions of “are we even in the right place?” and “can we finally go now” had been met with little to no reaction from Tori and when he had wanted to stand up, she had even pulled her Scythe at him, materialised from a small keychain, as if it was his damn fault that the Unity wasn’t only shady as crap, but also unreliable as crap. How did they survive, and with a monopoly on this whole Demon hunting thing no less, being so completely and utterly incompetent?

At least the vocabulary he had studied with Yachi was good for complaining.

Why was he even _here_? Tori was relentless in not answering any of his more important questions. If they were trying to pull him into their organisation then no way, nope, not happening, he had better things to do and also things that didn’t get him killed. Like volleyball. And not failing at school. Or maybe the latter could actually get him killed, who knew.

None of this would have happened without Tori. He did appreciate her in some … Greater picture … Maybe … But most of the time he found himself wishing he was an only child. Weren’t twins supposed to be mentally connected or something? He could never tell what she was thinking. Maybe because they weren’t identical. Or maybe just because Tori was insufferable.

(He might or might not have picked up that word from Tsukishima. After a while, the things he and Hinata were being called tended to stick.)

He flinched when he heard the glass door slide open and someone came into the room, the neon lights above them flickering like in some horror movie. Tori put her phone down, not startled in the least. Damn it, what was supernatural hyperawareness worth if he still got surprised and his sister didn’t? He called bullshit on this whole powers stuff. Maybe he wasn’t that talented after all. Maybe volleyball had just honed his observation skills.

Tori bowed at the young woman with the dirty blond ponytail wearing a red tracksuit and Tobio quickly stood up and followed suit. “Good to see you … Uh … Ikata-san, right?”

“Itsukata,” the newcomer said and nodded. “The name is Itsukata Sango. You of all people should know that.”

“Sorry, I’m not good with names,” Tori said, laughing nervously and running a hand through her hair. “This is my idiot brother, Tobio. The two-spirited one!”

He almost smacked her for introducing him like that, but he had manners. Also he was used to it. “Nice to meet you,” he mumbled instead, not really sure what was going on.

“I’m sorry it took so long, we had kind of an emergency, but if you would come with me now, we can sort this out.”

Okay, now that was going too fast. Coming with her where? Weren’t they already in a Unity building? And wasn’t it night? Oh, their parents would be furious … But he couldn’t exactly complain, this woman, despite not being dressed professionally, had this aura of ‘Don’t fuck with me’ that he got from Daichi when he was mad. Nobody wanted to deal with a mad Daichi. And she was an adult, one that Tori knew, so she had power … Wait, if Tori knew her did that mean that their parents also did? But why would they have said they’d make pork curry for dinner today? They couldn’t just make his favourite food for dinner if they knew he wouldn’t be there to eat it … That was just rude.

“To-bi-ooo, stop standing around and start coming with us, the sooner we get this over with the better!” Tori called, already at the door. He couldn’t really do anything but follow her, so he did, stumbling over his own feet and almost falling on the way, which earned him a shocked gasp from Itsukata and an ugly giggle from Tori.

Outside, Itsukata led them into an old silver Ford Focus. He eyed it warily, a voice sounding like his father saying “don’t go with strangers” repeatedly in his head. But Itsukata wasn’t a _stranger_ if Tori knew her, right? Even though she hadn’t really introduced herself. And he didn’t want anything to do with the Unity …

He climbed in and sat down on the backseat regardless.

The car smelled really nice, although he didn’t know of what (the only smells he could actually tell apart from each other were those of food and those of anything volleyball-related). Tori planted herself on the right front seat as if she had done this a million times before.

“Where are we going?” he dared to ask after buckling up.

Itsukata started the engine and said, “The headquarters of the Ennoshita Family.”

“Ennoshita?!”

“You’ll know when we get there.”

And with that, they were off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this raises so much more questions than it answers things ... but that's kinda the plan. °^°


	12. Nachtmusik

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **_Nachtmusik_ (German: night-music) is best known from Mozart’s serenade Eine kleine Nachtmusik (‘A Little Night Music’).**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's called Nachtmusik because ... it plays at night. I am so. creative.
> 
> I had to rewrite this entire thing, which is why this took so long ... I somehow got stuck with something that didn't even make sense anymore and had a writer's block for some time until I just powered through it and smashed that bitch through sheer willpower, tAKE THAT
> 
> I said _I think I'll keep the part 3 chapters at this length (watch me overriding that statement with the next chapter because things never go as planned. I can already see it happen)_ last time, this is 4k again, I am so good at predicting myself being unpredictable ...
> 
> you know, for a side part that was supposed to be happy and cheerful, this sure got dark pretty damn fast. one more chapter though, then we're back with the Akaois °^°)/

“No.”

The old woman sighed at Kei’s resistance as she tried to patch up his neck. He didn’t feel the impact of anything and slowly but surely he was noticing a distinct lack of feeling in his right side in general. Nothing a Healer couldn’t fix, he supposed, although it did explain why it had not hurt. The Demon must have had a power or maybe it was just its saliva that numbed the body. If it hadn’t been so intent on killing him, he would have taken it home. It was pretty practical.

“Why not? You do realise I am a former Unity official, right?”

It was really taking him all of his energy to be polite. “It’s late, I can’t trust you, and my mother will worry if I don’t come home.”

“A-at least he’s doing the responsible thing,” the store clerk said, staring at his phone. “But I can’t reach anyone! He’s going to die—”

“I’m not going to die,” Kei groaned. After so many times of him telling them the same thing over and over again he doubted it would have any effect though. “And I could have told you that. There seems to be a problem with the phone network. There has been for a day or two now, actually.”

“I was hoping they’d fixed that by now!” Kei wasn’t sure whether to take pity on the poor man or to look down on him. Had he never seen a person who had been attacked by a Demon before? It wasn’t like that didn’t happen a lot, and yet he sounded completely terrified.

“There are plenty of Healers at the Unity, you know,” the woman said and fixed the bandage. “There. Not perfect, but it will have to do.”

“I am not following you to the Unity.” He was _really_ regretting coming here. No amount of his favourite food was worth this.

The pout she gave him reminded him of Sugawara in a very crude way. Their hair colour matched too. Usually he would have laughed, but he didn’t find it in him right now. “Well, Tsukishima-kun, I understand you, but this is important.”

“What can be this important …”

“Aren’t you interested in the details about your brother?”

The world stopped.

She wasn’t talking about Akiteru. She couldn’t be. Yes, she knew his name, but Akiteru— There was no way he’d get the answers he had been searching for so long this easily. He didn’t trust the Unity, and he certainly didn’t trust this woman who claimed to be affiliated with the Unity. Nobody would walk into an easy trap like that. The bait was hanging way too low.

But if … Hypothetically … He’d learn what had happened to him? Maybe even see him again, because there was still no proof for Akiteru to be dead? What if he could get his brother back?

No. Absolutely not. This screamed ‘unsafe’.

“What do you know about Akiteru?” he heard himself ask.

“Come to Karasuno’s Unity branch tomorrow at six PM and you’ll find out.”

The smile he earned from her was unreadable. He couldn’t be sure of her intentions. Why would she care about him? He had to consider all possible outcomes.

But if he didn’t go alone and prepare for anything that might become problematic, this sounded like a reasonable thing to do.

He knew that Akiteru would have gone without a second thought.

Kei wasn’t Akiteru, not by a long shot. He had always admired his brother until he had disappeared, but had somehow grown into a much different person. Still, this thought was enough to set his decision.

The woman left the store before he could answer her.

Next to him, the store clerk waved his arms around maniacally, hitting a few things off the shelves. “She’s just leaving?! She can’t just _leave_! What am I supposed to do?”

“Let me go home,” Kei suggested. Even though his mother definitely wouldn’t be thrilled seeing her son all patched up like this, but the only thing he wanted was to throw himself on his bed, devise a plan for tomorrow, and try not to think about what he might hear.

The man eyed him suspiciously, folding his arms over his chest, but his foot was still tapping the ground. “I don’t feel good letting you go alone … I’m the only one here though and my shift doesn’t end until eleven …”

“I’m fine, really. I’ll survive.” Honestly. This was getting ridiculous.

“You— Oh damn it, I’ll drive you home, your safety is most important.”

Really though. The customer service was outstanding.

Usually he would have made a remark about how he wasn’t supposed to just climb into the cars of strangers but the sooner he got home, the better, so he nodded. “Thank you.”

Kei focused his mind on his complaints and bad mood, if only to keep from thinking about Akiteru as long as he was still emotional from the shock.

 

* * *

 

Tobio had many talents, he figured. He was great at volleyball, he could drink an entire bag of milk in record time, he had put on an amazing performance as the moon in one of his junior high plays, and he still held the record for worst English test score in Karasuno’s history.

His sense of direction though …

It didn’t help that in the tall, modern building every floor looked the same with identical doors and identical signs and identical paintings on the walls and he was slowly getting the feeling that they were walking in circles.

“Uhm … Itsukata-san?” he started but the woman leading them through the hallways remained silent. She had grown awfully quiet ever since they had come here. In fact, aside from the typical city noises of Sendai, there was not a sound to be heard at all. Maybe everyone here was really quiet at working, or maybe it was the fact that the sun had set, or maybe they were the only ones in the entire building, but in a place this big that would have been ridiculous. They had to at least have a janitor or something.

He exchanged a look with Tori, who just shrugged and smiled. Apparently, believing that she had any idea what was going on here had been stupid to begin with.

Tobio could literally hear Daichi reprimanding him in his head, like some sort of overbearing dad, but even this Daichi in his mind was right when he said that he shouldn’t have come here.

But if she didn’t know what was happening, how come Tori trusted Itsukata? Looking at her from behind, her tracksuit read ‘Yukidaka Higashi Academy’ – Tori’s school and the one he would have probably gone to had he not made Karasuno. She was probably a teacher there, or a coach. Maybe for the volleyball team. Tori would know her if she was the volleyball team’s coach.

And most importantly – they were in the building of what now? The Ennoshita Family? _Ennoshita_? As in Ennoshita Chikara, second year captain-to-be of the Karasuno High School volleyball club? What was this, some sort of secret mafia ring? If this was anything like the movies, he was probably screwed.

Itsukata came to a halt before him and he accidentally walked into her, bumping back a bit when she didn’t move an inch. Tori snorted.

The door they were standing in front of looked exactly like all the others – heavy, made of bright wood, with a sign reading ‘4.26’ hanging next to it. Itsukata didn’t bother knocking before pushing it open, revealing a brightly lit, fairly big room with tables standing in a U-position and two people sitting at the farthest one.

One of them was a middle-aged, stern-looking woman in a black suit. Tobio wasn’t sure whether the room was much colder than the rest of her building or her gaze made it look that way.

The other one looked rather plain, with short black hair, wearing a black school uniform and looking down at the table like he wasn’t sure what to—

He raised his head at the newcomers.

This was _Ennoshita_.

Well, they were probably all Ennoshita here in some way or another but this was Ennoshita _Chikara_ and _this_ is _a movie_.

“Sango,” the woman said, nodding at Itsukata. “You are earlier than I expected.”

“I’m sorry.” Itsukata bowed her head and gestured to the siblings. A side glance revealed Tori with a grin and sparkling eyes as if she found all of this exciting like some sort of amusement park ride. “But I’m glad you could still arrange this at such a short notice. I didn’t expect Karasuno’s principal to actually let them go this quickly.”

“At least once we’re done with this we can focus most of our forces on the Unity case.” The woman’s cold eyes met Tobio’s and he flinched. This was not somebody you wanted to mess with. If he had thought of Itsukata earlier as powerful, this woman could probably part the seas through sheer power of will. She reminded him of the principal, but at least he knew that the latter had the best in mind.

All of his instincts told him to run. He didn’t dare move.

“Kageyama Tobio. How nice to finally meet you. My name is Ennoshita Ami, vice leader of the Ennoshita Family.”

 _Vice_? There was someone even _worse_ than her out there?

“I will be blunt. You are not allowed to speak of this organisation under any circumstances or we will punish you. That applies to your sister as well, but I am sure Sango has already told her.”

Tori nodded eagerly, though she wasn’t smiling anymore.

“Now, we do not have too much time, so the sooner we finish this the better. Tobio, the reason we have had you come here is simple. I am sure you can already guess.”

He couldn’t. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t even have been able to speak right now if he tried. None of this made sense.

“You are a highly talented two-spirited Ability user and have shown outstanding potential for as long as we have observed you. Frankly, we want your powers. You will join the Ennoshita Family and work for our cause, which I will lay out in more detail as soon as you settle in. Chikara, if you would guide them to their rooms …”

In his mind, it was just a pointless string of words. Honestly, he didn’t remotely know what she was even talking about, much less what it meant for him and Tori – all he managed to gather was his senpai’s shocked face at the woman’s words, his sister’s low gasp next to him, and Ennoshita’s ice-cold voice and eyes that could have frozen him there on the spot.

“Mother—”

“ _Chikara._ That is an order.”

His expression was unreadable now, but he didn’t look all too happy when he stood up and slowly walked toward the siblings, softly placing a hand on each of their shoulders. “Come with me, please,” he said, exchanging a glance with Tobio that may or may not have meant something but he had never been good at picking up clues and certainly wouldn’t be able to start now that everything was already confusing as heck.

Tori hissed, “Are you for real? You’ve gotta be kidding! I thought …”

“So did I,” Ennoshita interrupted her quietly, but firmly. “But _please_.”

Without any further explanation, they were gently shoved out of the room, the door falling shut behind them with hardly any sound at all.

They stood in front of it, waiting for what he assumed was nothing in particular, the hallway as empty as it had been before. The silence – and being away from the creepy woman – was enough to finally get the gears in Tobio’s head turning once again.

Basically, the gist of it had been that he would … Join this shady club or whatever it was?

No way, he couldn’t do that. There was a good reason why he kept refusing the Unity. Had he been born without powers like his sister, none of this would have happened, and he’d just be at home right now, eating with his family, maybe watching some recorded volleyball matches in his room afterwards.

Slowly it started to occur to him that he had effectively just been forced into some kind of organisation against his will, without even knowing what it all was about.

“Wha—”

Ennoshita immediately shushed him, glaring at him with his finger pressed against his lips. “Not right now. Come on.”

Tori shot her brother a worried glance as they started moving down the hallways. If this had been anyone else, Tobio might have protested, but there were exactly three things he definitely knew about his upperclassmen in the volleyball club. First, Daichi was scary when he was angry. Second, Sugawara had a really crude streak. Third, Ennoshita sometimes seemed like the two former ones combined.

You did _not_ want to piss of Ennoshita.

And so he just followed in silence, wondering when he would get back home again.

If they would even get back home at all.

If something went wrong, his Ability could definitely save them a lot of trouble, but Tori might not be able to follow. Despite being athletic, she didn’t have her brother’s reflexes, speed, or strength. She did have her scythe though, a miniature form of it dangling from her necklace. He’d never actually seen her in a serious fight, but she always looked pretty capable when she was training.

Could he overpower Ennoshita? Sure, but did he want to do that? Absolutely not, or they’d be stuck here forever. Everything looked the damn same. Whoever had designed this place needed to get fired.

After what felt like half an hour of walking (but was probably closer to three minutes) he still had no plan, but a destination, apparently. At least they were standing in front of another room and a really familiar position.

Ennoshita slid a card through the device installed next to it and a low buzzing sound filled the silence before the door was being pushed open.

What Tobio could see from out here was a bunk bed, an empty desk, and an expensive looking desk chair in front of it. The walls were painted in a light green and the floor laid out with dark blue carpet, swallowing the sound of Ennoshita’s steps as he went inside. He waved for them to follow and Tobio didn’t have a choice when Tori dragged him over the doorstep by the wrist.

The sigh Ennoshita let out resonated through the small, but fairly empty room, and his hand was on his heart. “Geez, that was nerve-wracking. There’s cameras everywhere out there …”

“Where are we?” Tobio blurted out. Now that they were somewhat in peace he wanted answers, damn it! “What are we doing here? What did she mean? I refuse.”

Tori lightly punched his upper arm. “Shut up, idiot, this is all supposed to be like this … Right?” Her voice was wavering though, almost sounding pleading.

“Not really.” The older boy’s voice was low and deep, and it reminded Tobio of the ghost stories Hinata would tell them at training camps. He’d never admit it, but they were scary as crap. “I was supposed to keep an eye on you and recruit you, but nobody ever said anything about forcing you. That’s the Ennoshita Family for you …”

“Ennoshita Family,” Tori repeated. “I thought it was the Unity.”

“What exactly did Itsukata-san tell you?”

Tobio couldn’t tell whether there were tears welling up on her eyes or whether she was just really, really pissed. As for himself – he felt hollow. This sounded like a scene straight out of one of these bad action anime Tori liked so much. This couldn’t possibly be real, but he was living it right now.

“She said … She said that she’s from the Unity and that I could trust her and like I _know_ that I can trust her, I know her, she’s the boys volleyball team coach, and we have joint practices sometimes and … And who cares, why is she _here_? Sh-she said … They need Tobio’s help. They’d make him strong. They … They’d help … Help us,” she hiccupped, followed by a sob. Tobio placed a hand on her shoulder – he’d never been good with comfort, but he had to do _something_ to make this work. Seeing his sister cry was just painful. It hardly ever happened.

Ennoshita raised a hand toward her but let it drop again, then dragged it through his hair. “We need to leave. But we … But _they_ know where you leave, and Karasuno would be the second choice … Is there a place we can go? I can get us out of here no problem, I don’t think they suspect me, I’m part of the family after all. I mean, the actual family. But once we’re gone it’s only a matter of time until they find out, so we need a safe space.”

Alright, so everything _would_ be fine, he told himself. Ennoshita was on their side. But a place where they could go? There were only so many friends he had, and he didn’t want to drag them into it, plus if he were a supervisor from some evil organisation he’d definitely check there. Teammates were out of the question. Classmates too, and he wasn’t very close with them. Same for Tori. Maybe …

“Seijoh,” he said.

“Seijoh?” Ennoshita raised an eyebrow and Tori snorted, though it came out as more of a sob.

“I know people at Seijoh,” Tobio said. “Iwaizumi-san and … Kindaichi and Kunimi …”

His senpai stared into nothing for a moment before whispering, “Of course. We’ve tracked your record, sure, but we never considered your old teammates important because you didn’t get along with them.”

“A-and what do we do when we’re there, genius?” Tori shot. “We can’t just go to the school. It’s night. There’s gonna be nobody there.”

“No, the gym is good,” Ennoshita argued, a friendly smile appearing on his lips. “I can get into anything, don’t worry. We’ll just need to make sure nobody knows we broke in. As for your parents, I’m sure they’re worried, but I’ll message them …” He narrowed his eyes. “Somehow. The network’s still dead. Still, leave that to me. Now, let’s get out, I guess?”

He didn’t sound as confident as before, but Tobio felt relief wash over him regardless. They were okay. He didn’t want to worry his parents, but hopefully this would all be over soon and he could finally have his daily life back, with more of boring school life and volleyball and less of … Whatever this was.

However he would explain this to Iwaizumi. Or Oikawa, though if Sugawara wasn’t lying, he was still stuck in Tokyo, which saved them a lot of trouble.

Maybe all of this was good for something.

 

* * *

 

“Who even leaves places like these open?” Yahaba asked, voice full of disgust as he looked around. “Shouldn’t this be secured area or something?”

Issei snorted. “Around here? Forget it. That’d mean there are people out there who actually work for this town.”

The shopping mall had been closed four years ago and replaced with a bigger, more glamorous one on the other side of town. Now, the place doubled as a hideout for people who didn’t have anywhere else to go and an appropriate place to hold a test of courage with children.

Cobwebs were handing from the high ceiling, there was mould on the walls in unlikely places, and the whole place stunk of rot, piss, and misery. Truly not the shiniest spot around, but if his weird mental connection with Hanamaki was pulling him here, who was he to judge? In fact, he felt like he was getting closer to his object of desire. Now that might have just been overreliance on the supernatural or just plain wrong – in which case he needed to get a refund for this thing he never asked for.

Kyoutani was awfully quiet, which he would have taken as a bad sign for most other people he knew, but this was Kyoutani and the only one who really understood him was himself. He definitely wasn’t the most talkative guy. Honestly, Issei didn’t even know why he had come with Yahaba in the first place. Sure, everybody kind of _assumed_ they had a thing going, but actually going somewhere together would mean Kyoutani wasn’t trying his best to hide that fact. Maybe the rumours were wrong after all. He still hoped for it, or else he owed Watari his lunch.

Fucking Watari. In hindsight, it hadn’t even been fair. He was Yahaba’s best friend after all, so he probably knew more than all of the third years combined.

“I’m just surprised we didn’t see any homeless or junkies around,” Yahaba said in the most cliché rich boy voice anyone could have managed. Issei was actually proud.

“I’m more surprised we didn’t see any Demons,” Kyoutani growled, glaring at the shadows. “Not even first classes.”

“That’s lucky for us though, isn’t it? If anything bad was about to happen, we could feel it.” Well, Kyoutani and Yahaba probably could. Issei had no idea if he himself would be able to. He hadn’t really had the chance to explore his new powers yet.

“Not necessarily. Depends on the Demon.” Yahaba blew his hair out of his face and coughed.

“Dusty hair, huh? That’d explain why it looks so grey sometimes,” Issei murmured, surpressing a laugh. The look he earned from his kouhai could have killed a lesser man.

But honestly, if Hanamaki was really around here somewhere, then going had been a really good idea. There _was_ something off about this place. Sure, that might have just been because Kyoutani had sounded so grim. Perhaps it was just the filthy abandoned shopping mall aesthetic. But as his great-grandmother’s best friend had always said, at least according to his uncle: Better safe than sorry.

“Uh, Matsukawa-san?” Yahaba stopped walking and narrowed his eyes at a spot on a bench near an unmoving escalator that had led down to the basement someday. “Is that Hanamaki-san?”

Indeed, there was a figure sitting there, eating something, but it was dark and gloomy and the connection had decided to stop tugging him now that he looked at the guy. Which was probably a dead giveaway, if he thought about it.

The other dead giveaway was the wave and the muffled “Matsukawa!” he received when mysterious shadowy guy raised his head, apparently.

“Yup, that’s Hanamaki,” he sighed and stalked over.

Until he was pulled by the collar of his shirt, his feet not hitting ground as he stumbled back, landing on his ass as the floor in front of him crumbled down and crashed into the basement with an ear-shattering sound.

His pulse went up rapidly and he felt sweat on his skin as he stared at the ground or lack thereof, wide-eyed and gasping. “Holy shit,” he murmured. “I knew this place was old, but damn.”

“Now we know why they closed this thing. You alright?”

Hanamaki on the other side had jumped up and was now standing across the hole, visibly shocked. “What the fuck?” he shouted and gestured around wildly.

Issei wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a forced laugh. “I’m okay, don’t worry, I’m fine!”

“I have a really bad feeling about this,” Kyoutani grumbled, alert and wide awake. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

As it turned out, ‘let’s get the fuck out of here’ sounded a lot easier in theory. They all realised that pretty quickly when a Demon roughly the size of a car flickered into vision on top of the rocks in the basement.

“Well, we can deal with one Demon,” Issei said, shrugging. They did have a Healer, and maybe he could punch some shit again, plus he had his swords on him. And who knew what Kyoutani was capable of? Hanamaki would surely be able to help too once he got over that hole …

His optimism was immediately shattered when more and more small Demons appeared around the second class, until the ground wasn’t visible through the hole anymore.

From somewhere, he thought he felt a really big presence approaching. Two, maybe.

They were outnumbered by too many to count.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> are Yahaba and Kyoutani a thing in this fic? we might never find out.


	13. Requiem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **The Catholic Mass for the Dead opens with the words ‘requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine’ (‘Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord’), leading to the use of the word _Requiem_ to denote a Mass for the Dead.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG  
> I hate myself for breaking my unintentional 1-update-per-month rhythm but I got TERRIBLY stuck at the second Matsuhana part ... I just kinda rushed it in the end just to get it done tbh ... I hate how this chapter is not even that long it sHOULD BE LONGER FOR THAT WAIT
> 
> but well, shit's starting to go down. and next chapter we're back with Akaoi!! I miss writing them. I mean I write them all the time on my phone but like. that's just for fun. this is also just for fun but yKNOW
> 
> at least my method of only updating past midnight has stayed consistent
> 
> I wanna squeeze some Iwakage in there but I think there's gonna be no space for it ... at least romantically aaaaaah I need to write them sometime
> 
> but I'm actually also working on a long-ass Iwadai oneshot rn which is turning out nice so!!
> 
> how fitting btw that chapter 13 turns out to be called Requiem ... I've actually only just realised it. funny coincidence. why is it called Requiem? well ... you'll see.

Getting out of the building was the easy part. One thing that came with being a part of the Family for all of your life was flawless knowledge of where the security cameras were placed and what blind spots they had. There weren’t many, but Chikara knew his way around by now.

The Kageyamas had the decency to stay quiet as he maneuvered them through hallways hidden behind secret doors, no light whatsoever streaming in. There were two hands clinging to his shirt, every step seemed too loud, but it went smoothly. It wasn’t the first time he had snuck out. It was, however, the first time people were with him.

He was kind of grateful for the darkness. There surely were spiders and bugs hanging around – he wasn’t bothered by those kinds of things, but last time a bee had found its way into the gym during training, Kageyama had almost fainted. Chikara really didn’t need to test whether that fear rang true for other types of bugs as well.

Getting out of this place would be a matter of minutes for someone who knew what they were doing, and he’d be grateful for when they’d finally be outside. Things were going okay, if he did say so himself, and if he knew his mother in any way, she wouldn’t suspect him to help the Kageyamas escape.

He did feel kind of bad for it – while forcing them to work for the Family definitely wasn’t the way to go, he knew where she was coming from. Having a two-spirited user on their side would definitely give them an advantage and what they wanted to do wasn’t bad at all. Their top priority was getting rid of that Demon. They wanted to _help_ , especially since the Unity didn’t seem to do anything.

But, well, their methods …

In the pocket of his pants he could feel his bow, minimised like Tori’s scythe, if he had the right information. As of now it had transformed into a small pendant, shaped like a crescent moon. After years of practicing, changing its shape was second nature to him, but in the beginning it had done whatever it wanted. Maybe because the low amounts of energy every person carried around, the one that Ability users had much more of, hadn’t been quite enough to get it to work properly. Or it might have just been because the whole thing was illegally acquired and quite possibly not properly enchanted.

He could feel the question of _When will we get out?_ hanging in the air. Not much longer, he told himself. Just round a few more corners and there’d be a door hardly anyone knew about. This corridor had once been in use, now it just posed as a convenient means to escape.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he finally got to the metal door and heaved it open, cold fresh air streaming into the corridor. The back of the building was poorly lit and there was hardly anything to see, but he knew his way around.

“Now wh—” Chikara quickly turned around to place a hand over Tori’s mouth. Thankfully her brother had enough decency to not try and say a word. Maybe he was being paranoid, but he wouldn’t allow a singly syllable to be spoken until they were safe at Seijoh.

Which meant they’d have to take a bus first, but the station wasn’t too far away and the next one would come in roughly five minutes, more than enough time but not too much to grow anxious waiting.

Chikara took a deep breath of the cold autumn air and dragged the two Kageyamas along.

 

* * *

 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck …”

Issei didn’t exactly know where they were going but he _did_ know that he wouldn’t leave Hanamaki alone, so _out_ was no option. The Demons were following right behind them as they ran for their lives, but hopefully somewhere where they could meet up with Hanamaki, who was completely on his own and would probably die if they didn’t do anything, how had they gotten into this, why now, could they not have a moment of peace, what would he give for Oikawa for being here because at least that bastard was the best fighter of all of them—

“Over here!” a familiar voice called and he saw Hanamaki hiding inside a shop with a crashed glass window, _thank goodness_ he didn’t seem too injured, even though the screeches not too far behind them were definitely very concerning.

“Hanamaki-san,” Yahaba breathed and hurried over, jumping through the hole in the window and Issei and Kyoutani followed suit. At least here they were somewhat sheltered. It probably wouldn’t last for long, but it had to do.

Issei placed a hand on Hanamaki’s lower arm, and for one moment things were right again, until he remembered where they were. “You okay?” he asked.

“As okay as you can be when there’s a horde of Demons out to get you,” Hanamaki deadpanned, but his voice wavered a bit. “I’d say let’s get out of here, but I’m pretty sure they’re blocking the entrance.”

“Isn’t there a window here somewhere?” Yahaba looked around the room, but he’d only see empty shelves, a broken counter, a few torn banners on the wall, and glass shards on the floor unless he had some sort of supervision.

Hanamaki shook his head. “Forget it, we’re underground. Appreciate the enthusiasm though. You could use it to heal me, by the way.”

He pushed up his sleeve and revealed a deep cut, thick red blood dripping from his pale arm. Nothing they weren’t used to, and they had a Healer with them, so Issei wasn’t too worried. It didn’t look like a Demon’s attack, he’d probably cut it on the broken glass.

“Are you crazy?” Kyoutani growled. “If he uses his Ability, they’ll notice us.”

“They already know where we are, these things can sense souls, remember?” Issei shot back. The thought didn’t comfort him in the slightest, and he had to admit he hadn’t ever really been in a worse situation than this one, but they’d survived other crazy stuff and they’d survive this. Maybe if they were lucky they’d even find out where these monsters had come from so suddenly. They were mostly second classes, by the looks of it at least, so he figured this mall was their hub, but wouldn’t that mean there were more of them scattered around the place?

Yahaba sighed and hovered his hand over the cut on Hanamaki’s arm, carefully as to not touch him, and the wound closed all by itself. It definitely wasn’t the flashiest type of power, but dependable and doing what it was supposed to. Still, Issei remembered Yahaba whining to Watari about it more than once.

“Now if there are any Slayers here, that’d be great,” Hanamaki said and waved his newly healed arm around before he grabbed a glass shard off the floor and tore the bloodstained part of his sleeve off. In any other siutation, Issei would have admired his muscles now, but things were kind of tense.

He raised his hand, earning a really confused look. “Uh, yeah. About that …”

“I’ll finish them off,” Kyoutani interrupted him and tried to stand up, but Yahaba pulled him back down by the collar.

“No way, what the hell,” he hissed, shooting him an exasperated glare. “Not letting you do that. We still need you. Even if I trusted you, which I don’t, none of us are gonna go out there on their own.”

Sounded reasonable. They’d probably have to fight their way out no matter what, but they’d to that while they were escaping. Running headfirst into it sounded like a terrible plan.

Not that they had a plan. If anything, just making it up as they went along like he intended to was the opposite of a plan.

“Do you have a better idea?!”

“Now, now, let’s all get along,” Hanamaki said and threw an arm around Issei’s shoulders. “We’ll distract them with something, make a run for it, and kill everything that comes in our way.”

“I don’t think that’s possible with this amount of Demons, but hell, at least it’s _something_.” Yahaba dropped his gaze to the ground, staring at the shattered glass. “Could we do something with this? I don’t have a weapon, but all three of you can fight. You do have your weapon, Hanamaki-san, right?”

“Always with me.” The blade made to resemble Issei’s own – it was ironic, really, that they’d chosen each of them before even knowing the other existed. They were at their strongest when fighting together, too, so they had that advantage at least.

“Kyoutani …”

The boy in question furrowed his eyebrows, even more so than usual. He really did look like a mad dog. “I’ll transform.”

“If necessary,” Yahaba added.

“I’ll transform.” He seemed really adamant about it.

Whatever that even meant – Yahaba at least knew about Kyoutani’s Ability, apparently, and if he was a Slayer then they might even stand a chance. If only Abilities fit personalities, that would be really damn practical to plan things around.

He _had_ called him their last resort.

Something crashed too close by for comfort and Issei felt Hanamaki jump next to him. “Alright, now or never. Which way out? If we go upstairs we can leave through a window or something, but I don’t think they’re letting us go through like that. Any ideas on distraction?”

There was no answer.

Only the sound the ceiling being ripped off over their heads and the deadly stare of a Devil with the dead eyes of an eagle as countless smaller Demons stormed down.

 

* * *

 

“ _Aoba Johsai High School_ ,” the announcer’s voice resonated through the near-empty bus and when Tobio stepped onto the sidewalk like he had not too long ago when surveying the volleyball club, he had a really strange feeling.

Despite Ennoshita saying that he could get into anything, he really hoped for someone to be there. Anyone, really. Preferably Iwaizumi. He knew Iwaizumi. He could work with that.

Holing themselves up in the gym until they figured out something better didn’t sound too much fun, but like hell would he be taken back to that place. He didn’t quite understand what was going on but whatever it was, he didn’t want anything to do with it.

“Alright, lead the way,” Tori murmured, her hand hovering over her necklace.

At least he had been here before, and he knew how to get to Seijoh’s main gym – not that it was all that hard, as it was less than two hundred meters away. Still, everything felt kind of different in the dark, and he tripped over his own feet more than once.

That was until he saw the light from the gym’s open door.

“Someone’s here,” Ennoshita said, his voice low.

_Please be Iwaizumi._

Tobio walked as quietly as possible, careful to not alert whomever was in there to their presence, and looked inside.

He was immediately met with a pair of dark grey eyes, looking at him by complete coincidence, hopefully.

“Kageyama?”

Iwaizumi.

_Thank god._

Tori gasped behind him, the sound louder than anything she’d said so far. “That’s Seijoh’s ace! Oh my god, that’s so cool. Iwashimizu, wasn’t it?”

“Iwaizumi-san,” Ennoshita corrected her.

Iwaizumi blinked, mouth open but no sounds coming out, as he stood there in the gym in the middle of the night wearing training clothes with a volleyball in his hand. The image reminded Tobio of Oikawa.

“You … Don’t suppose we could use this gym to hide from an organisation that’s going to be really mad when they find out we’re not where we supposed to be, right?” Ennoshita could truly sound like an angel if he tried. Sugawara had nothing on him.

The answer he got was a flat-out, “What.”

“I’m taking that as a yes? Maybe?”

“I mean. If you have to.” Iwaizumi ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. “I can’t just shut you out. But … That’s not really safe, is it?”

Tori snorted. “Probably not.”

“As safe as it gets, really,” Ennoshita jumped in and stepped before her, taking over the situation completely. “Unless you have a better idea. We just need to hide somewhere, really.”

“I …” He paused for a moment, staring at each of them individually for several seconds, before continuing. “I guess you could just come to my house?”

 

* * *

 

Takahiro expected horrible pain but it never came, only eardrum-shattering noise and a growl more feral than he could have ever imagined when light flashed and suddenly everything turned to red.

“ _Fuck_ ,” somebody (Yahaba?) shouted and he was pulled back by the collar, dragged along until his feet caught the ground again and he managed to stumble forward on his own, breaking into a sprint.

Whatever it was that was holding the Demons at bay, he’d thank it later, for now their main objective was to run and never return to this godforsaken place.

His head was throbbing and he tripped several times, his vision blurred and the sound growing duller and duller in his ears, but he was still alive and he’d damn well keep it that way if he had anything to do with it.

“Fuck this, fuck all of it,” the voice said again and it was growing really annoying really fast, but he didn’t find the air in his lungs to tell him the shut the hell up, Jesus Christ, even though he was inclined to agree.

A roar resonated through the abandoned halls, followed by the ear-piercing sounds of a Devil’s screech, and he felt bitterness well up in his mouth but decided he was too occupied running for his life to puke, and before he knew it he was pulled aside and shoved against a wall – he heard something crack quite clearly, so it had got to be close to his ear, but with all this pain he didn’t even know what it was – and tried to swallow with little success.

“Okay, what’s happening right there?” the person next to him – Matsukawa, judging by the blur of black hair – presumably asked, and maybe it was just Takahiro’s ears but he sounded as if his mouth had suffered one way or another.

He felt an arm being thrown around his shoulders and wanted to say, _Excuse me, if I throw up now it’s probably going to be on you._

“Kyoutani, that idiot, I think he saved our lives but now _he’s_ gonna die,” Yahaba hissed, his silhouette across from him. “And we can’t stay here for much longer. Someone’s gotta go out and stop him.”

Wait, that was Kyoutani? Come to think of it, he wasn’t here. But since when did a figurative dog sound like a literal dog?

Yahaba didn’t seem to notice his confusion but instead leaned forward, pressing a hand to his forehead, and the pain dulled quickly, his senses sharpening again. “I really do not want to use my powers now that Kyoutani’s distracting them, but I won’t let any of you die, and that includes that bee-haired bastard.”

“Thanks,” Takahiro managed to say, his voice raspy but otherwise fine. Thank god for Healers, truly.

Matsukawa looked a lot better than Takahiro felt, but there was blood dripping down his lips and his left arm hung at an unhealthy angle. Yahaba sighed and quickly fixed it as well as he could – of course he was the best off out of the three. Sometimes Takahiro wished for the endurance of a Healer. It would make things so much easier.

“Welp, what should we do other than kick some ass,” Matsukawa said, shrugging, but he didn’t fool anyone. They were all afraid – how had the night turned into this? “I could punch some stuff, that worked the last time.”

“I don’t think that’s gonna do too much,” Takahiro retorted.

“Oh, you don’t know half of it. Whatever we do it’s got to be quick though.”

Yahaba shook his head almost maniacally. “I can’t believe this. We can’t go back, we’ll _die_ , but we can’t contact anyone right now. Maybe if one of us made it out and got to Iwaizumi-san or something … But there’s no way, nobody’s gonna be left alone here.”

“If we’re doing that, it’s gotta be the one with the best chances while the other two try to hold them back and probably get killed in the progress.” He did his best to sound nonchalant, knowing that panicking now – more than he already was – wouldn’t help. That did sound like the best plan though. The one with the best chances.

The one with the enduring body who might not have enhanced speed or anything but was the most likely to make it out alive.

In other words, Yahaba.

He exchanged a glance with Matsukawa. They’d thought the same thing, he knew not only from this exchange but also from that damn bond or whatever they had that made things so much simpler but also so much more deadly, apparently.

Without thinking he took out his phone – which thankfully was okay – from his pocket and quickly sent a string of messages to the Seijoh group chat. There weren’t a lot of other people around that needed to know, but his team, his _family_ , should.

“You go,” he heard Matsukawa say while he was typing, and Yahaba protested but when Matsukawa repeated his words, there was no room for argument. They needed to act fast. They all knew that.

And he was sure Yahaba also knew that this was their best chance. It didn’t even look like one, which probably said enough, but it was there, if ever so small.

When he looked up again, shoving his phone back into its place, Yahaba stood up, tears in his eyes. “God, I hate you. You better survive this or else.”

They simply nodded and he ran off. Hopefully he’d make it. No, he’d have to. If they went back, he would.

Takahiro’s phone buzzed in his pocket but he didn’t dare look as he was pulled up to his feet by Matsukawa and turned to stand next to him, facing the direction they’d come from.

“I can’t believe we’re actually doing this,” he said, as quietly as possible.

“Hey, if you die, I’m dying with you.”

“Thanks, love.”

They exchanged a look, smiles as confident as possible, as they intertwined their hands. “Good to have that cleared up,” Matsukawa said. “If we survive this you owe me a kiss or like, twenty.”

“One for every Demon out there.” 

 

* * *

 

Kei took a deep breath before going inside the building.

He had only been here once, back when everything had still looked newer and shinier, and even then he had thought that Karasuno’s Unity branch was tiny and outdated. Coming back years later, again for Akiteru, but in a much different way, it just looked plain shabby.

His hand was shoved in the large pocket of his hoodie, his thumb hovering over the call button. In the end, going alone was what he had settled for, but his mother knew where he was and so did Yamaguchi, even though he had implored them not to follow him. If he was getting information out of this, he’d be doing it thoroughly, and going against what the woman had said would only minimise his chance of success.

He couldn’t deny he wanted answers.

Behind the counter, a middle-aged, bald man was tapping away on his smartphone, headphones on. So this was the professional Erasing Unity, huh?

He tapped on the blue wood to arouse the guy’s attention, but the only answer he received was, “Just a second.”

From this close, Kei was hearing high-pitched music from the cheap-looking headphones.

About half a minute later he grew impatient, his foot tapping on the floor, although he almost didn’t notice. When he was just about to speak, the man put his phone away and pulled the headphones off, laying them down on the counter.

“Sorry. Why are you here?”            

 _Hello to you too_ , Kei thought, but didn’t say it. It would have been impolite and aside from the fact that that wasn’t a good look on him, it also wouldn’t help him. Instead, he fixed his glasses, suddenly kind of nervous. “I’ve been told I should come by …” He just now realised he didn’t even know the woman’s name. Damn it. Here he thought he was prepared.

“Ah, right, Ikari-san said something like that. Tsukishima Kei, was it?”

Did the whole Unity know his name? Well, it did make sense, but it still pissed him off. He didn’t want them to be so friendly with him. “Yes,” he said.

“Would you come with me for a second?”

He gestured to the door behind the counter and when he pulled it open, it revealed a small, brightly lit office room. Dust particles were floating around and papers piling up on the desk, behind which sat the old woman from the convenience store. She looked up when Kei entered the room, nodding at him.

“Good evening, Tsukishima-kun,” the woman – Ikari – said with a friendly smile. “Would you sit down, please?”

He bowed as a greeting and settled down on the chair across from her, wary, with his hand still in his pocket. “Good evening.”

“I’ll get straight to the point – things are a little urgent at the moment.” Her smile fell and she opened the folder in front of her, pushing it to Kei. “This is a non-disclosure agreement. I have to ask you to sign it or else we won’t be able to tell you anything.”

Well, he had expected that. The file looked clean, without any hidden hooks, but he read over it three times to be sure before taking the pen on his right to sign it. If push came to shove, he might be able to go against it by saying he was a minor and it was therefore non-valid, but mentioning that now would have only put him into a position of disadvantage.

The man and Ikari both nodded and looked at each other before Ikari spoke up again. “Thank you. I don’t want to overwhelm you, but I’m afraid there’s no other choice. You might be the key to solving all of this.”

Whatever ‘all of this’ was, Kei did not know. He wasn’t sure he wanted to. Being used by the very organisation he had spent years working against sounded less than ideal – he had to keep as many options open as possible.

“Can you tell me what you know about your brother’s disappearance?” This time, it was the man.

Kei cleared his throat, choosing his words carefully as he spoke. “I was … Eight years old when I last heard of him, in April 2005. He was working at a Unity branch in Tokyo before, he didn’t have an Ability but he was part of the Elite. One day, he just disappeared. We never heard of him again, he didn’t write any letters, and when we asked, nobody knew anything about him. We never got a notice about his death, either.”

He silently thanked the gods that he had given the same speech to many noisy classmates and teachers before, especially in the earlier years. It didn’t bother him anymore, which was a huge step up from the tears that had always involuntarily welled up in his eyes back when he had been younger. Now, his voice was shaking just the tiniest bit, not because of thinking about it, but because he might finally get his answers.

Imagining what he was about to hear did him more harm than anything though, so he tried to supress the feeling.

The man nodded. “Well, that’s about what we figured. Now let’s cut right to the chase. You’ve heard about the mysterious disappearances caused by a Demon all around?”

“It’s hard to avoid,” Kei said. _You didn’t do a good job covering it up in the first place._

“Well, that Demon … You might already have figured out, but it’s obviously not a normal one. The Unity calls it as fourth class.”

_Fourth class._

There was something worse than the Devils out there? And it was seemingly running rampant all around Japan, heck, maybe the world?

Kei tapped the pen on the desk, trying to distract himself from the cold sweat forming on his skin.

A fourth class would be impossible to defeat. The Devils were already a giant threat. What else could be out there that was _worse_?

“That’s not the only thing about it, though. Uhm …” The man looked at Ikari, unsure of what to say. “It’s … A little different from the others … You know that Demons are theorised to stem from the Beyond, right? Of course you do, they teach that. This one …”

“Is artificially created,” Kei whispered.

It must have been. If it wasn’t a natural phenomenon like the others, and if it was worse than third classes, then the possibility of humans having messed with something much greater than them seemed like the only option.

“Yes. Its powers were taken from Demons banished to the Between.”

No way.

There was no way.

The Between was inaccessible.

Yamaguchi had talked about it time and time again. Getting a Demon actually in there required an Encrypt, but they never opened a gate or anything. The theory was confusing as all hell, but Kei knew for a fact that accessing the Between for anything other than shoving Demons inside was impossible. It didn’t work. No human had that power, and no machine could ever replicate it.

“But its appearance and soul …” The man shifted in his chair, looking anywhere but at Kei. “Those are human.”

It was in that moment that Kei knew where this was going.

He opened his mouth but no words came out, only broken sounds that barely resembled whimpers. _It can’t be_ , some part of him shouted, _This doesn’t make sense, nothing of this does._

Ikari raised her head and looked him straight in the eyes, a gaze so piercing and clear he wouldn’t have dared to move if he had wanted to.

“I’m afraid you’re right, Tsukishima-kun. The human used for the experiment, the one we turned into the fourth class – the one who volunteered to let us do it – was Tsukishima Akiteru.”

 

* * *

 

 **_my loyalties are flexible like kindaichi’s sexuality [the seijoh conference]_ ** **_,_ ** **_Oct. 27 th_ **

**_0:02 AM._ ** _if we don’t return weve probably died_   
_**0:02 AM.** bye cruel world_   
_**0:02 AM.** nice knowing u guys, rlly gonna miss u_   
_**0:02 AM.** i mean it. pls dont be too sad i hate seeing u sad_   
_**0:03 AM.** oikawa be nice to iwa he deserves it after all the shit uve put him thru_   
_**0:03 AM.** kunimi keep doing u_   
_**0:04 AM.**  yahaba dont die on us_   
_**0:04 AM.** everyone sorry_

_ERROR: 8 messages not sent_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kyoutani is a Slayer who transforms into a dog/wolf/beast thing. he really sucks at controlling it, and he usually doesn't like doing it at all because he's afraid he could hurt someone, so he only does it in emergencies.
> 
> also I think I never mentioned this, but Tori's school, Yukidaka Higashi (or Yudahi for short), is one I've had in mind for a while. she's part of the girl's team obviously, but their boy's team is one of my fanteams! which I have a lot of, lol. all the other OCs are also based on my fanteams; the people working at the Unity with Alisa have the same names as some parents for my teams etc.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! ~ ♥ Remember, my (HQ!!) Tumblr is http://akaashi-tooru.tumblr.com/ so yeah. Say hi. Or ask stuff. I like people. °^°)/


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